10 Life-Changing Hacks

Fill your boots. It’s not mine. Came from the wife years ago.

A bit arty, farty, airy fairy, hippie type thing. Came from the missus years ago.

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Thanks justin for sharing. There is enough info there to make one think. All positive. I will try the cold shower (one day) !

AG1: as I have to take a ppi, which can interfere with nutrients being absorbed properly in the gut, I use oral sprays for vitamin supplements. The annual blood tests I have seem to suggest the delivery system works for me. As an example: I have followed a vegan diet for some years which means I need to make sure I don’t become deficient in B12 the results show this isn’t the case.

Love the video . Cold showers I do and there is a couple of other things you mentioned that I will definitely try. Thank you and Merry Christmas

Hello Justin, good stuff here, I can vouch for the benefit of many of them, and thank you for sharing. I am going to skip the “why I haven’t touched my guitar in almost 5 years” sob story, and just want to let you know that your newsletters kept me connected, and that I am going to look through your offerings and find something that I will enjoy right now and start picking up the strings again. Just for enjoyment.

Cold showers: not so sure that at my age I should be taking on this sort of challenge but it does seem to be one of those things that promise benefits without there being any absolute expert proof yet. There are plenty of encouraging results though. As an aside, here in St Albans, the water supply company regularly email encouraging us to limit the length of shower to 2 minutes in order to conserve water resources. It could be argued that adding this length of time to a daily shower isn’t good from a conservation perspective.

Interesting link but it will probably only work in the U.K. Unless you have a VPN maybe and you’ll need a login.

In this podcast it’s mentioned that benefits are experienced having cold showers of a much shorter length then 2 minutes. A researcher talks about the length of shower being based on the time it takes for you to get your breathing under control. Also suggests if it’s too long you go past the point of it being beneficial and it can be harmful as you begin to approach hypothermia.

Where Justin uses the martial arts, I think possibly yoga fills a similar spot in my life. I practice virtually every day. You gain physical strength and flexibility, but there’s other aspects too. There’s a lot of breathing exercises, combining control of breath with movement and think this is partly why I have no problem these days getting into cold water. There’s a mental side to it also, learning to accept what you can do and not getting frustrated with it (balancing poses are a strong example of this for me). Letting go of the frustration allows you to try again without tension and get there someday. And guys, yoga isn’t just for girls.

@brianlarsen sensibly applying the KISSS … let’s expand that to Keep It Simple, Short and Sweet :grin: … principle.

I would add sufficient good sleep to the list of bullets. And note that for me exercise covers both mind and body.

And guitar playing is certainly great exercise for the mind.

I recently heard that 7 hours uninterrupted sleep is needed for the brain to be cleansed of the toxins built up during a day’s activity. Unfortunately, I think that’s something I’ll never achieve again.

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Thanks.

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Thanks Justin
It is great to hear some of the supporting habits of people you admire.

Thanks for all you help with the guitar tips and tricks.John

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Love to you

Thanks for helping me learn guitar

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Dear Justin, thank you for sharing that wonderful video:
You remind me of the quote: “Be yourself, everyone else is taken”-- with everything you do.
You remind me that if you take care of yourself first, then the rest will follow
I would add to your list to learn something new or improve on a skill—your singing progress is awesome, btw
At this season of giving thanks, I thank you Justin for opening the door to the world of playing guitar and singing along by providing guide posts for my guitar journey these last 4 ½ years and with it great joy and also confidence to play “my way”: to paraphrase Billie Holiday, If I’m going to play like someone else, then I don’t need to play at all :blush:

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Great stuff and some good reminders. I’ve been off and on with music my whole life in terms of learning to play…mostly trumpet as a kid, with a little piano and even less guitar in my adult life. I want to do more than listen, so I’ve made the commitment to myself at the age of 59 that I will become proficient with guitar. I’ve also made that same comment to my wife and best friend so they can hold me accountable. I don’t want to let them down, so it’s a great motivator should I need it.

As for one tip I’ll offer similar to the toilet poetry. Take nature baths! If you can walk among the trees of a forest or park then do so often, but even just getting outside somewhere in a big city where you can find a scrap of nature does wonders for your well being if you disconnect from technology and are present to take in what is around you. I find sitting in my own backyard is wonderfully rejuvenating.

Happy New Year from California!

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Having whizzed through your video, it seem obvious to me that not all suggestions will suit everybody. I agree that diet, exercise and taking time to meditate such as playing a musical instrument etc is important for just about everybody. The rest? I’m not so sure.
I am 74 years old and my exercise consists (apart from still working as a plumber & heating engineer) of either windsurfing in anything up to 3 m high waves in force 5/6+ winds and getting thoroughly rinsed/trashed if I get it wrong. Alternatively, I ride my mountain bike (not an ebike) with like minded individuals who think that grinding up and then careering down a rocky mountain track at break neck speed is the ultimate adrenaline rush. I fully accept that this would not suit everybody. Going to the Gym, Pilates, Yoga etc, just bore me to tears.
I remember seeing a psychiatrist for depression about 30 years ago. She asked me what I liked doing. My reply was “windsurfing”. She replied, " Well just go and do it then." I still remember and live by that advice.

P.S. Just had a thought. Windsurfing in UK winter must be very similar to a cold shower, but it definitely lasts longer than 2 minutes!

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Great list Justin, it was very much like reading my own life. What really surprised me was when you said the cold showers were good for a hangover and my best tip is to stop alcohol completely!! As a health nut for years I made sure to stick to the NHS recommended 14 units a week, but I knew deep down that was just akin to hitting myself over the head with a hammer 5 times rather than 500 times. Knowing about the cancer, alzheimer’s and everything else even moderate drinking causes (and your Huberman fella does a podcast on it as well) I decided to chuck it completely just before the first UK lockdown - best thing I ever did, the increase in energy is amazing and the mental calmness and clarity is something I’d never before experienced.

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Justin, all good stuff, thanks for sharing! I’m trying the cold showers, been doing it for about a week now. Not sure how long it will last but so far so good. Stay healthy, the world needs you!

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Just something you guys might want to be aware of:
After commenting in Youtube, I got a reply from Justin, and I also got the following reply:

TELLEGGRAM :point_right:t2:justinguitar1​:point_left:t2:
Dm let :point_up_2:t2::point_up_2:t2: let talk I got something special for you :confetti_ball::100:

I reckon that someone is impersonating Justin. Please tke the appropriate steps.

Thank you!
Jeroen

Hi Justin. I just integrated plenty of it immediately. First of all to mention the cold shower at the end of a comfy shower - how could I forgot about this for more than ten years. Thanks mate. I feel better with your Life Hacks already after two weeks.