"Mr. Gorbachev, unstress this mess." -Ronald Reagan

Of course President Reagan said, "Tear down this wall" in his famous speech around the fall of the Iron Curtain in the late 1980's. But a lifestyle laden with unhealthy stress can be our own personal "wall of oppression" if we don't address it wisely and with intention.

In this episode, host Jay Wiles lays down his own routines and hacks to "destress" his life and how you can too. Enjoy!

In this episode, you'll learn:

-You can pre-order the most complete stress resiliency operating system known to man...03:30

• 40% discount
• $29 down now, fully refundable
• $150 value gift box if you are one of the first 1,000 to pre-order
• Entered to win a one hour one-on-one coaching with Ben Greenfield from our advisory team and Ben Greenfield Fitness
• Pre-order here!

-Dr. Jay's top 5 daily habits for destressing...07:30

-1. Exercise is SO important for stress resilience...08:15

• Start your day with a walk in the sun.
• Good, quality resistance training. Anything that helps build strength.
• The Muscle Intelligence podcast hosted by Ben Pakulski. (check spelling)
• Zone 2 cardio training. (45 min to an hour, 4-5 days per week)
• Zone 2 Training Podcast with Iñigo San-Millán, Ph.D. & Peter Attia, M.D.
• Walking, in general, is an extremely effective means to adapt to stress.
• Dr. Wiles aims for 8,000-10,000 steps per day.

-2. Elemental stressors...18:00

• Sauna: 220 degrees for 20 minutes, 6 days per week.
• Elemental stressors build a more effective nervous system.
• Breathing exercises in the sauna.
• Cold exposure 6 days per week.
• 3 minutes in an ice cold shower, keep the body moving.
• Aim for at least 3 times per week of hot and cold exposures.

-3. Quality personal time with loved ones...24:10

• Good quality social engagement is one of the top things for mental health and well-being.
• Find time for connectedness.

-4. Focused nutrition and focused fasting...26:45

• Dr. Wiles intermittent fasts every single day.
• Generally, stops eating around 6 or 7 p.m. at night, does not eat again until 12 or 1 p.m. the following day.
• Benefits mental acuity, positive biometric changes, and stress reduction.
• Occasionally takes on an extended fast: 24, 48 or even 72 hours.
• Quality food that does not produce excessive inflammation.
• Avoid highly refined sugar.
• Focus on whole foods, foods that makes you feel good.
• Focus on the quantity of food.

-5. Breathwork and HRV biofeedback...37:30

• 5-10 minutes of resonance breathing every day.
• Focused breathing periodically throughout the day.
• Wind down after workouts: 2-5 minutes of down-regulating breathwork.
• HRV biofeedback is a go-to practice.

-Honorable mentions...43:30

• Focus on good quality sleep
• Light therapy all day long
• Great water and mineralization
• Supplementation

Resources mentioned:

Dr. Nathan Bryan On the Effects of Nitric Oxide on Physical Performance podcast episode

Dr. Jay's Daily Routine podcast episode