Ditch the Gimmicks: Exercise Your Way to a Long and Healthy Life!

Welcome to Effective Habits, a weekly newsletter where I share evidence-based strategies and tools to help you live a happy, healthy, and productive life.

Today at a Glance:

• Avoiding Burnout: 7 Types of Rest

• What if the Most Powerful Way to Live Longer Is Just Exercise?

• Get the Best From ChatGPT With These Golden Prompts

Avoiding Burnout: 7 Types of Rest
Ben Meer

Lights, Camera, ...
Feeling exhausted even after a full night's sleep? Turns out, it's not just about physical rest. According to Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, there are seven types of rest we need to avoid burnout: physical, mental, social, spiritual, sensory, emotional, and creative rest. The truth is, your employer probably won't prioritize your well-being, so it's up to you to take that vacation or PTO, especially with summer here. Remember, sometimes slowing down is the key to speeding up.

Action!

1. Physical Rest:

   1. Active: Sleep at least 7 hours each night and take naps as needed.

   2. Passive: Stretch, get a massage, or use and ergonomical chair.

2. Mental Rest:

   1. Write down your to-do list to declutter your mind.

   2. Establish a shutdown ritual to separate work from personal life.

   3. Take breaks from problem-solving and allow your mind to rest.

   4. Practice meditation to calm and rejuvenate your thoughts.

3. Social Rest:

   1. Spend quality time with people who energize and uplift you.

   2. Reduce the time spent with individuals who drain your energy.

   3. If you're an introvert, schedule alone time to recharge.

4. Spiritual Rest:

   1. Volunteer for a cause that resonates with you.

   2. Seek purpose-driven work or projects.

   3. Participate in faith-based activities aligned with your beliefs.

5. Sensory Rest:

   1. Take breaks from social media and limit screen time.

   2. Turn off notifications for sounds and visual alerts.

   3. Create a calming atmosphere (e.g. soothing music or candles)

6. Emotional Rest:

   1. Spend time with people who allow you to be your authentic self.

   2. Seek support from a therapist to unload emotional burdens.

7. Creative Rest:

   1. Appreciate the beauty of nature through activities like watching sunrises or sunsets or taking nature walks.

   2. Visit museums, art festivals, or engage with inspiring forms of music, books, or documentaries created by humans.

Start with your 1-2 biggest deficits and then expand to cover all 7. Try this Rest Quiz to help you start.

What if the Most Powerful Way to Live Longer Is Just Exercise?
Alex Janin

Lights, Camera, ...
Are you chasing the elusive fountain of youth? Forget ice baths and magic pills—science reveals that the simplest solution to live longer and healthier lies in one powerful habit: exercise. Countless studies show that regular physical activity not only reduces the risk of age-related diseases like Alzheimer's, cancer, diabetes, and heart problems but also boosts muscle and bone growth, maintaining independence and protecting against falls (the leading cause of injury-related death among those over 65). It's a remarkable multitasker, targeting various hallmarks of aging by improving immune function, reducing inflammation, and increasing insulin sensitivity. Plus, exercise enhances memory and cognitive abilities. So, if you want to achieve a longer, healthier life, focusing on the basics like exercise (and sleep) will take you 80% of the way there. Everything else will only provide a small additional benefit while demanding significant additional resources.

Action!

1. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, as recommended by federal guidelines. However, any amount of physical activity is better than none. Start small and build up.

2. Include a combination of endurance and strength-training exercises. As you age, prioritize strength training to counteract the decline in muscle mass and basal metabolic rate.

3. Stay motivated by envisioning what you want to accomplish at future ages, such as effortlessly lifting a carry-on suitcase into an airplane's overhead compartment or playing with grandchildren.

Need more specifics on how to structure your resistance training? Check out this previous issue.

Get the Best From ChatGPT With These Golden Prompts
Brian X. Chen

Lights, Camera, ...
Are you ready to unlock the full power of AI chatbots? From OpenAI's ChatGPT to Microsoft's Bing and Google's Bard, these innovative tools are transforming the way we work and live. In a world where people from all walks of life are diving into the realm of AI, it's crucial to learn how to navigate these tools safely and effectively. But before you embark on this exciting journey, keep a few common-sense warnings in mind: safeguard your privacy by avoiding personal details, steer clear of sharing confidential data, and be aware that chatbots can sometimes conjure up fictitious information. Now, here's the game-changer: the golden prompts! While it may seem as simple as typing a query and getting answers, the art lies in using the right words and framing questions precisely to unlock the most helpful responses. Unlike those lengthy lists of prompts you've probably come across, these high-level tips are versatile and can be applied to almost any situation. So, get ready to revolutionize your AI interactions and make the most out of these incredible chatbots!

Action!

1. Begin your prompts with "Act as if" to instruct the bot to emulate an expert in a specific field. For example, say "Act as if you are a tutor for the SATs" or "Act as if you are a personal trainer." By providing this context, the bot can draw on statistical patterns in its training data to generate more relevant and accurate responses.

2. Include the phrase "Tell me what else you need to do this" to prompt the bot to request additional information. This helps tailor the responses to your specific needs. For instance, if you want a personalized workout and meal plan from a personal trainer bot, you can say, "Act as if you are my personal trainer. Create a weekly regimen and meal plan for me. Tell me what else you need to do this." The bot may then ask for details like your age, weight, dietary restrictions, and health goals to provide customized recommendations.

3. Thread your conversations. Instead of starting fresh with each query, maintain multiple ongoing conversation threads to improve the effectiveness of your chatbot over time. This approach works well with ChatGPT, allowing you to keep separate conversations open for different purposes, such as a business coach and an executive assistant. By threading your conversations, the bot learns and retains context, making it more capable of delivering relevant answers.

TOOL TIP

Beeper: Do you find yourself using 5+ different chat apps to communicate with everyone you need or want to? Beeper is a free tool that provides you with a unified inbox that allows you to chat with people on 15 different chat networks. It’s great having to only monitor one app and be able to look for past messages within one search.

FUN FACT

95% of mosh pits rotate counterclockwise, and it’s possibly related to handedness.

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Disclaimer: The information provided in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We are not liable for any risks or issues that may arise from using this information.