The Foundational Fitness Protocol, Investing In Nutrition & Recording Conversations
The Foundational Fitness Protocol, Investing In Nutrition & Recording Conversations
Happy Thursday!
Here is your weekly dose of Longevity Minded, three things I’m exploring in the realms of healthy longevity and simple living this week:
Let’s dive in.
🫀 Live Longer
Dr. Huberman’s Foundational Fitness Protocol
I’ve been travelling since October 2nd and won’t return home until December.
Although I wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve had for anything, I’m looking forward to exchanging on-the-road workouts for my at-home exercise routine and the consistency that comes with it.
In anticipation of my return, I crafted a new fitness routine based on Dr. Andrew Huberman’s Foundational Fitness Protocol.
Huberman created this routine based on “what the best science tells us we should all do for immediate and long-term health.”
Here’s my rendition of Huberman’s Foundational Fitness Protocol (I hope you can take something from it):
EVERYDAY
Morning: wake-up around 5:45 or 6 AM, meditate, journal
10,000 steps
SUNDAY: Long Duration Endurance
1) Warm-up (light calisthenics, jog), 5-10 minutes
2) Ruck, run, or skip—only nasal breath, 60-75 minutes
3) Stretch circuit (30+ second holds)
MONDAY: Legs Resistance Training
1A) Kettlebell swings, 4x25
1B) Tibialis raises, 4x20
2A) Pistol squats, 4x5/side or Goblet squats, 4x10-12
2B) FHL or Knees over toes calf raise, 4x20
3A) One-arm, one-leg kettlebell deadlifts, 3x8/side
3B) Single leg glute raise, 3x10-12/side
4A) Hard style plank, 4x10 seconds
4B) Knees over toes lunge, 3x10/side
5) Stretch circuit (30+ second holds)
TUESDAY: To be decided…
Huberman does hot and cold exposure on Tuesdays.
I don’t have access to a sauna or ice bath but will probably do a combination of long walks, cold showers, yoga, and experimenting with the O2 Lung Trainer by legendary kickboxer Bas Rutten.
WEDNESDAY: Torso Resistance Training
1A) Kettlebell overhead press, 4x8-12
1B) Pull-ups, 4x8-12
2A) Archer push-ups, 4x5-10
2B) Kettlebell rows, 4x10-12
3A) Kettlebell lateral raises, 3x12-15
3B) TRX Rows with bedsheet, 3x10-15
4A) Incline push-ups, 3x12-15
4B) Arm Haulers, 3x12-15
5) Ab exercise of choice, 3 sets
6) Upper body stretch circuit (30+ second holds)
THURSDAY: Moderate Intensity Endurance
1) Warm-up (light calisthenics, jog), 5-10 minutes
2) Run at 75–80%, 35 minutes or Attia’s 4x4 Protocol
3) Stretch circuit (30+ second holds)
FRIDAY: High Intensity Cardio Training
1) Warm-up (light calisthenics, jog), 5-10 minutes
2) Sprint, 20-30 seconds all out, 10 seconds rest, 8-12 rounds. Get to the point where you feel like you can't go any harder.
3) Stretch circuit (30+ second holds)
SATURDAY: Muscular Endurance, Arms, and Calves
1) Nickels & Dimes: 15 minutes
2A) Kettlebell curls, 3x10-15
2B) Tibialis raises, 3x20
3A) Close-grip push-ups, 3x12-15
3B) FHL or Knees over toes calf raise, 3x20
4A) Dips, 3x12-15
4B) Kettlebell skull crusher, 3x12-15
Once I start this routine, I will probably make modifications as I go. But overall, I like the structure and balance of this week.
For the supporting science and logic behind this program, the full podcast was thoroughly enjoyable.
And please hit reply to this email to let me know if you picked up anything new from this protocol.
💪 Feel Healthier
Thinking About Nutrition Like Investing
Would you dump your entire life savings into one investment?
What if promising research showed it would double in the next year?
Like Spider-Man, your financial (and common) sense was probably tingling there. Regardless of what “research shows,” you would be a fool to dump everything you have into one investment.
Because investment predictions are extremely turbulent, always have multiple sides arguing opposite points, and turn out to be wrong for most people most of the time.
Nutrition science is no different.
Yet so many people are willing to adopt radical diets despite the vast uncertainties in nutrition research and wide-ranging individual variances.
The point is this: When research fails to provide a solid conclusion and different papers are reporting opposite findings, you probably don’t want to put all of your eggs in one basket.
Deriving all of your calories from red meat and animal organs? Probably not a great call.
Only eating fruits and vegetables? Also probably not the best option.
Treat your way of eating like an investment portfolio and diversify. That way, you will remain unshaken by whatever research turns out to be right.
At the risk of quoting Michael Pollan twice in two weeks, I think he did a wonderful job of simply capturing the essence of a healthy, balanced diet:
"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."
🧠 Cultivate Purpose
Recording Conversations To Remember Loved Ones
Last summer I met with a reader in Vancouver to go on a hike.
We connected instantly and while hastily hiking up the mountain and running back down had a wide-ranging conversation spanning exercise, nutrition, sleep, life purpose, meaning, and much more.
He mentioned that with his mother’s age and health, he didn’t know how much time they had left together.
As a way to remember her, he had recently recorded a long conversation with her using the prompting questions from StoryCorps.
This instantly struck me as a marvellous idea.
Losing a loved one is a sorrowful and depressing event. But even worse is the thought that you will eventually forget the sound of their voice or never know what they thought about something important because you didn’t have the courage to ask them while they were alive.
Using this advice from the hike with my wise friend, I found myself sitting in a coffee shop in Quepos, Costa Rica with my mom and stepdad last week―the perfect opportunity.
I hit record on my phone (without telling them) and asked my mom one of the StoryCorps questions for parents:
“How do you think we are alike? How do you think we are different?”
The result was a 45-minute conversation that went far beyond my original question.
I got to listen to my mom speak from her heart about me, our family, and our lives. That memory and audio will be with me forever and I’ll never lose the sound of my mother’s voice or how we used to talk to each other.
A day will come when you lose your loved ones. But your memory of them can live on forever.
And, as always, please give me feedback. Which section is your favourite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Just hit reply to this email and let me know.
Much love to you and yours,
Jack
P.S. If you enjoyed today’s newsletter, follow me @jackrossdixon on Twitter for daily tweets and threads on how to live longer, feel healthier, and cultivate purpose while living simply.