Life Lessons and Self-Improvement
12 Bullet-Proof Life Hacks That Helped Me Thrive
Innovative lifestyle choices can significantly impact health, fitness, and well-being when they turn into a life philosophy.
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I made many mistakes for decades. So I make the hard work easier for some readers.
If you want to enjoy and benefit from this article, reading it with zero assumptions, no good or bad, can initiate a serendipitous spark in your transformation journey.
Many regular readers told me that even my most straightforward blog posts and stories created serendipitous encounters for them. There is no proverbial “fat” in this article.
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For example, this short article encapsulates 150 pages of a manuscript full of my trial and error in real life, taking significant risks, and challenging the status quo. I hope you find some valuable clues for your journey.
Context
Our habits determine our success in our personal and professional lives. A joyful life consists of a series of intertwined mini-habits that make a compound effect when combined. We think we are authentic, but in reality, we are habitual. Comfortable and familiar feelings sound authentic.
Undoubtedly our brains function with patterns. Habits are neural pathways that grow and strengthen with repetition. Positive ones make life easier, and negative ones turn into destructive addictions.
When we have established neural tracks for certain constructs, we feel authentic. So even though it may sound spiritual, authenticity has biological and neurological roots.
In other words, we create our authenticity with a series of tiny and interconnected habits. But there is more to the authenticity, of course. It is another story for next time.
Whatever gets focus and attention can grow, sustain, and dominate, whether good or bad. The brain does not distinguish excellent or lousy input unless we intentionally filter with a mindful approach.
Instead, it creates neural pathways based on the intensity and frequency of information from various senses, whether good or bad. So, our focus and attention determine the position and quality of these paths.
In this post, I want to introduce a dozen life hacks that I formed as habits and turned into a life philosophy. They, altogether, substantially impacted my personal and professional development.
These 12 points relate to physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual domains. They are both at the personal and interpersonal levels. These domains are inseparable. They are interrelated.
For example, physical activities can impact our mental, emotional, and spiritual outcomes. Mental, emotional, and spiritual constructs affect each other and strongly relate to the physical domain.
Many physical, mental, and emotional constructs impact our personal and professional development. So there are many more in my life, but these 12 lifehacks are the only highlights that significantly impacted me. I encapsulate them and briefly explain how they produced excellent results in all domains.
1 — Ketosis, [Secret key to euphoria]
Probably putting this controversial item first is risky as some people still think of it just as a simple molecule. Bear with me.
Ketosis made a massive impact on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual domains. So far, deep ketosis was the only biological phenomenon that helped me experience euphoria.
Ketones can be seen as simple molecules as an alternative energy source for the body and the brain. However, despite the deceptive perception, these signaling molecules have a tremendous impact on our mental health, emotional maturity, and physical performance.
Being in ketosis means that our body is fat-adapted. The fear of survival is gone. The body has abundant energy even if we don’t have food for days and months. When fat-adapted, the body uses stored fat as energy for the function of many organs, especially the brain. It is metabolically cleaner and more efficient than glucose.
Since I experienced ketosis, I have had remarkable changes in my physical, mental, and emotional health. Thus, even though ketosis is a physical and biological construct, it also affected me emotionally and spiritually.
When I am in deep ketosis, my mood gets better, and everything looks brighter. Hunger disappears, inflammation subsides, and pain gradually disappears.
We reach ketosis when liver glycogen is consumed, external glucose is absent, and hormones like insulin and cortisol are at minimal levels in the bloodstream. However, the body still creates essential glucose for the bloodstream through gluconeogenesis. This vital process is the essence of our evolution in challenging times.
Ketones are not just energy-producing molecules. They do more. For example, they signal the body to reduce inflammation hence decreasing stress. When we are in ketosis, our craving disappears. The brain is happy with the alternative energy, and the body knows it has the required energy. It does not feel in starvation mode even though we don’t eat anything for days.
In short, by staying in ketosis, like thousands of other people, I increased my energy, maintained a healthy weight, and reduced inflammation and stress. I rewired my brain using ketones, especially β-Hydroxybutyrate. Rewiring Brain by Activating BDNF & β-Hydroxybutyrate: How to initiate neurogenesis and enhance cognitive reserves with simple lifestyle habits.
2 — Jubilant Workouts [tricking the brain]
Movement is critical for the body and the brain. However, exercise creates stress, and unless our workouts are joyful and delightful, we don’t want to exercise naturally. We need to trick the brain into initiating the process. Paradoxically, when the workout starts, the brain naturally produces those feel-good hormones.
The brain is designed to preserve energy for survival. It sees the exercise as a threat wasting valuable energy required for essential survival. Therefore, unless there is an intentional stimulus, we stay in sedentary mode as default. This awareness is a life hack and the key to fitness.
Using the power of happiness hormones such as dopamine, we can create stimuli easily. Therefore, I only focus on joyful exercises which make me happy. When we start simple and easy exercises, after warming up with boosting good feel hormones, we can do more tedious and high-impact workouts.
Making joyful exercises as a habit had a tremendous effect on my personal development and health. For example, these exercises reversed my insulin resistance, helped me lose fat, defined my body, and strengthened my bones and muscles.
3 — Mindfulness, [cognitive wisdom]
Living in the moment is the present that we can give to ourselves. Memories of past events bring negative emotions such as guilt and regret. Future thoughts bring anxiety and fear.
By being aware of now and accepting our current situation, we live in the moment. The high-quality focus on each specific moment determines outcomes and thus contributes to our future success.
Regret, guilt, anxiety, and fear have a role in survival. However, without mindfulness, they take over and put us in victim mode.
With mindful living, being aware of each moment, and accepting life energy as is, we can create our reality and transform it into our desired state.
4 — Self Conversations, [mirrored madness]
Some might think of it as madness, but self-talk is an indication of self-love, self-confidence, and self-esteem.
The best way to catch up on my thoughts for me was by having an intimate conversation with myself. Asking questions to myself about the origin and meaning of thoughts, such as where this specific thought came from and what it meant to me, created a new dimension in my life.
When we observe and verbalize our thoughts, we can have control over our emotions. Thoughts based on negative and positive nature are capable of creating corresponding emotions.
I also use journaling to record my thoughts, sometimes asking questions with my right hand and replying with my left one. My left hand always surprised me, echoing voices from suppressed childhood memories.
Our emotional health depends on the quality of our thoughts. By talking to myself with empathy and compassion, I can better communicate my thoughts and consequently manage my emotions. Self-talk can increase self-love.
5 — Scheduling Fun, [honoring inner child]
Fun is a critical factor for our physical, mental, and emotional health. The more fun we have, the better moods and the more positive behaviors we create. Our inner child craves fun and serves us better when we plan and enjoy.
The best way of introducing fun to my life was by scheduling it and honoring my schedule. Allocating time for pleasurable events such as laughter, dancing, play, and therapeutic events made a huge difference in controlling my mood. I see life as a playground during my scheduled fun sessions.
Without scheduled fun, our reptilian brain runs the show by making us anxious. Our thinking brain is how we plan and design things that can contribute to our well-being. Scheduled events with repetitions can turn into valuable habits.
6 — Customized Diet, [Awareness of genetic and metabolic uniqueness]
I learned that each of us is unique and needs a customized diet based on several factors, such as genetic makeup, metabolic differences, and health conditions.
Initially, I thought any generic diet could apply to anyone. This assumption was a big mistake I made by paying a high health bill.
I tried many diets. Unfortunately, none of the dietary approaches I tried based on previous nutritional advice worked for me.
They left damaging havoc, which I had to fill in a costly way, as discussed in this story: My Unusual Diet Revealed: How a carnivore lifestyle transformed my health and fitness.
I discovered the optimal diet for my fitness, excellent health, life satisfaction, and high performance with self-experimentation, curiosity, and courage. For example, my allergies and autoimmune conditions made me decide to remove plant foods and fiber from my diet. This simple decision helped me resolve many health issues.
Even though the dietary regimen I follow is still controversial and frowned up by some people based on ethical and political premises, I am confident in my choice based on my long-term experimentation.
I don’t criticize other people’s dietary choices and expect the same from me. I am grateful that my family members who follow a different regime support my choice, and I support their choice.
However, I had some strong reactions, such as once I was thrown out of an Airbnb accommodation due to my diet. How I Felt When I Was Thrown out of an Airbnb House: Being rejected from accommodation services taught me valuable and memorable life lessons
I respect all dietary choices. There is no one fit for all. I see diet as a health issue, not an ethical and political matter.
7 — Detoxification, [constant renewal]
I am not talking about kale, celery, fruit juice, or detox supplements here.
Our body and the brain are under constant toxic attacks from metabolism and the environment. For example, we get toxins from our food during digestion and metabolism, drinking, and breathing.
These toxins can cause oxidative stress and autoimmune responses hence increasing inflammation.
I found many detoxification methods. For example, mindful breathing, drinking clean water, breathing clean air, sweating, hormetic and autophagy generating activities such as fasting, heat and cold therapy.
To touch on it once more, ketosis also contributes to detoxification. In ketosis, the body initiates autophagy (eating useless tissues) and burns metabolically cleaner energy.
8 — Serendipitous Kindness, [path to oneness]
All good things entered my life and the lives of other people I observed through a series of serendipitous encounters and acts of kindness. So many setbacks turned into serendipity, resolved with kindness, and proved as blessings in disguise.
Serendipity is the development of events by chance or luck, resulting in good outcomes. Staying in the moment mindfully, with awareness and acceptance, I find ways to create serendipitous encounters. Some adverse events and setbacks usually turn into blessings from hindsight.
Altruistic events, acts of kindness, reciprocity, and tolerance to uncertainty are sources of creating serendipity. We are all capable of creating serendipity using these approaches.
I see serendipitous kindness as a unique path to oneness.
9 — Growth Mindset, [game changer]
There are different mindsets. The most common ones are growth and fixed mindsets. These two mindsets determine our happiness or suffering in life. We cannot change our circumstances and external conditions directly; however, a growth mindset can have a favorable effect on outcomes.
Open-mindedness to possibilities can create a growth mindset. Optimism is another factor in creating a growth mindset.
When I learned the importance of a growth mindset and understood the risks of a fixed mindset, I attracted valuable experiences, new opportunities, and interesting people to my life. In addition, implementing a growth mindset contributed to reducing the intensity of my sufferings — more to this critical point in a follow-up article.
10 — Cold/Heat Exposure, [door to mental healing]
This item may look trivial from the outset, as cold and heat are natural and straightforward concepts. We give little thought to these as the autonomic nervous system manages them without conscious effort. Our body has a thermostat to keep us at a specific temperature for survival.
However, both cold and heat can be used to make substantial physical, mental, and emotional changes. Using altered temperatures to challenge our bodies can bring therapeutic effects.
For example, by using both cold and hot therapy, I managed my stress better, addressed inflammation, improved my sleep, got rid of toxins, and resolved my depressive thoughts.
Exposing the body to both excessive cold and heat can turn longevity genes, produce valuable neurotransmitters, and disseminate protective hormones across the body.
For example, the dry sauna is one of the heat therapies that help me detoxify my body naturally. Cold showers help me gain a better hormonal balance and improve my sleep. There is significant research on using thermic effects for physical and mental healing.
11 — Creativity and Innovation, [manifesting]
Creativity opened new opportunities for my personal and professional life. By using mindfulness, brain boosters, artistic endeavors, and unique communication strategies, I increased my creativity.
Related to creativity, innovative thinking contributed to personal and professional development and life satisfaction.
Innovation is creating new ideas and results from old ones by looking at things from different perspectives, combining unrelated things, and creating new meanings. By using innovative thinking, I could invent and turn ideas into useful products.
A growth mindset and mindfulness helped me become more creative, innovative, and inventive, turning my ideas into tangible products and services.
12 — Collaboration & Synergy, [collective productivity]
We are social beings who need each other. Our social connections determine our life quality. Only by supporting each other do we grow, survive, and thrive.
Even though collaboration may sound like a business concept associated with partnership and affiliations, in essence, collaboration is working with others to extend and enhance capabilities for mutual benefits.
Rituals in spiritual communities can be considered collaborative activities. This is because members can extend and enhance their sensations with collective input.
We collaborate with our parents, siblings, relatives, friends, colleagues, community members, and the members of a larger society. Collaboration creates synergy, meaning when we collaborate, we create synergistic outcomes.
Final Words
I shared my perspectives on 12 encapsulated and interrelated points that made a significant impact on my life. I see them as life hacks because they were not mainstream knowledge when I was growing up.
Some of them are still controversial for some known and unknown reasons. But they work for me and many others. They will be mainstream very soon. When I talked about the importance of meditation on the brain three decades ago, I lost some friends.
Unfortunately, these items were not in the curriculum for my 25 years of formal studies. I learned them through experiments, mainly trials and error, with conscious effort and serendipitous encounters. I took personal responsibility and many risks for my growth and happiness.
First, gaining awareness, then accepted them and creating many mini habits, later combining them logically and in an integrated way, I turned these physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual constructs into lifestyle choices and, eventually, principles, values, and life philosophy.
This life philosophy helped me resolve many entangled issues. And each life hack contributed to a newer version of myself.
I also shared one of my books on Medium, titled Powerful Life-Changing Hacks That Truly Transformed My Life. It has links to several chapters.
Here’s How I Got Healthier and Smoother Skin via 5 Lifestyle and Holistic Health Methods.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
As a new reader, please check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting my reviews, observations, and decades of experiments optimizing my hormones and neurotransmitters. I write about health as it matters. I believe health is all about homeostasis.
Petechiae, ALS, Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, Thyroid Disorders, Anemia, Dysautonomia, cardiac output, and urinary track disorders.
I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:
Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Phosphatidylserine, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients.
Disclaimer: My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.
As part of my creative non-fiction writing goals, I’d like to share a few stories that might warm our hearts with a bit of humor into weighty topics.
Sample Humorous Stories
Finally, After Burning Her House, Georgia Found Enlightenment
Hilarious Tips to Prevent Brain Atrophy and Keep the Gray Matter Giggling
8 Psychological Points I Had to Unlearn and Relearn the Opposite
Based on my writing experience and observations, I documented findings and strategies that might help you amplify your voice, engage your audience, and achieve your desired outcomes in your writing journey.
I publish my lifestyle, health, and well-being stories on EUPHORIA. My focus is on cellular, mitochondrial, metabolic, and mental health. Here is my collection of Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories.
You might join my six publications on Medium as a writer by sending a request via this link. 25K writers contribute to my publications. You might find more information about my professional background.
