The 5 Simple Fixes That Will Make You Healthy, Fit, and Eternally Awesome
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We’re scratching the surface in this Superlife book summary. If you don’t already have Darin Olien’s bestselling health and fitness book, order it here or get the audiobook for free on Amazon to learn the juicy details.
Introduction
Do you feel your energy dwindling as the day passes? Or are you susceptible to catching a cold more often than others? Superlife is a guide to improving your general health and lifestyle through five core focus areas. Written by Darin Olien, a world-renowned expert on superfoods, the book explores these five areas in great detail. It also provides research-backed evidence of their effectiveness.
Superlife educates readers on good habits for nutrition, exercise, and disease prevention. By integrating these habits into their lives, readers can live healthy and disease-free lifestyles. A key principle that Olien emphasizes is that you need to take care of your body just like you would take care of a new Ferrari. Most people don’t appreciate good health and a well-functioning body when they have it. When they fall sick, they spend time and money trying to regain their health. However, this is avoidable. By incorporating Olien’s five forces into your lifestyle, you can provide your body with the fuel it needs to serve you effectively.
To help you integrate healthier habits into your life, we have synthesized some of the most important takeaways here. Tag us on social media and let us know which ones you agree or disagree with.
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About Darin Olien
Darin Olien is frequently described as the ‘Superfood Hunter’ or the Indiana Jones of Superfoods. Olien has worked with the fitness company Beachbody to formulate one of the most popular superfood shakes in America – Shakeology. He recently starred as a co-host on the Netflix documentary Down to Earth with Zac Efron. Earlier this year, he also developed a health app called 121 Tribe. This app helps people learn about whole food and plant-based eating.
Olien graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Physiology from the University of St. Thomas. He also completed an unaccredited Master of Arts in Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. He became interested in alternative medicine after suffering a football injury in college.
StoryShot #1: There are Five Life Forces Recommended for a ‘Superlife’
Olien introduces five life forces to help your body thrive. Understanding these forces helps you sustain change instead of following the latest media trends. You will have a long-term approach to life that stands the test of time. Instead of focusing on specialized treatments for each system, Olien believes in a holistic view of health. Health is promoted at a cellular level, and the life forces detailed in Superlife can optimize our cellular health and help us feel wonderful. On top of this, Olien focuses on the prominent causes of poor health rather than on smaller, more immaterial causes. If we focus on the prominent causes of disease, it is possible to prevent (rather than treat) illness.
StoryShot #2: The First Force is Quality Nutrition
Olien recommends a whole food plant-based diet. We should aim to eat foods that are fresh and whole. Fruits and vegetables lose essential enzymes required for good health right after picking. The fresher your food, the better.
Our diet should predominantly center on vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, sprouts, and healthy fats. You should also incorporate fermented food, Omega-3 fats, and unrefined salt.
Consume food in its raw state as much as possible. Eating food in its raw or most natural state is when its nutrients are most abundant. For example, raw broccoli contains many substances your body needs, including vitamins, enzymes, and fatty acids. However, the taste of raw broccoli can prevent many people from having it regularly. Instead, people try to compensate by crushing it into juice.
But whole means whole. Don’t drink juices, and don’t take supplements based on one compound. Instead, have supplements with vitamin D, B12, digestive enzymes, and probiotics. Your meat consumption should be near zero.
You want your food to be as local as possible. However, this may sometimes mean that frozen food is the better option. For your food to be clean, you will want it to be both organic and non-GMO.
Fad diets are not helpful. Those diets often focus on what you cannot eat instead of what you should eat. If you focus on almost all your food being fresh and whole, you won’t have room for bad foods. Processed foods are naturally devoid of any digestive enzymes. This means we only extract some of the nutrition from these foods that are already nutrient-weak. Foods that are not suitable for consumption in large quantities include meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and sugar.
Finally, we should eat a wide variety of fresh, whole foods. If you are not providing your body with variety, you give your body the same limited nutrients. Eat at least one raw salad with different colored vegetables in it daily. Don’t put processed salad dressing on it. Strive to eat something raw at every meal.
StoryShot #3: The Second Force is Hydration
The second force outlined in the book is hydration. Our bodies are incredibly efficient at adapting to their environment. If we only drink small amounts of water, our bodies will adapt and survive. Our bodies cannot operate at peak performance without sufficient water. Even slight dehydration causes our focus, physical performance, and mood to suffer.
Poor hydration and water deficits are also potential causes of many diseases. These include chronic pain, digestive stress, migraines, and depression. Cellular hydration is fundamental to human health. Water alone can help treat many illnesses:
- Allergies: Dehydration over long periods prompts the body to produce histamines to hold on to the water available. Higher histamine levels cause more significant allergic reactions. Antihistamines are effective against allergies.
- Headaches: The most common cause of headaches is dehydration. Drinking plenty of water will minimize your risk of getting headaches.
- Arthritis: Arthritis is often associated with existing injuries. However, it can also signify that your body is attempting to hold on to the sparing amounts of water left. Therefore, your body is restricting processes that contribute to water loss. One of these is joint movement.
Aim to drink between three and four liters of water daily. Start by drinking a big glass of water as soon as you wake up. However, there are many pollutants in tap water. Drinking distilled water with half a teaspoon of unprocessed crystal salt per gallon can purify this water.
Avoid sodas or coffee as much as possible when tired or moody. A tall glass of water is the better remedy when you feel lethargic. You should also aim to eat as much raw food as possible. Raw food has significantly more water than cooked food and offers better hydration.
Finally, you must consider what type of water you are drinking. Your water may contain chemicals, organic materials, fluoride, chloride, and heavy metals. It is important to consider what is in our water because it is not static. Water constantly travels in and out of our cells, carrying nutrients and messages to the rest of our body. However, water molecules are suspended in electrolytes and must be small enough to fit through our cell membranes. Excess particles and other substances in the water we drink is detrimental to cell functioning.
Rating
We rate this book 4.5/5.
Disclaimer: This is unofficial summary and analysis.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published in April 2021. It was updated and revised in Nov 2022.
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My mom past at 62 years old. My maternal grandmother past away when she was 64 years old. My father past away when he was 67 years old. I am very fearful. I am 50 years old and don’t want to pass away so young as my family. I am reading, learning how to detox my body. I want to learn, I found interesting answers that I never thought. I have no family left. I feel lost.
Stay strong, Kellyann! The future is bright.
Two typos using no instead of not.
Thanks a lot again! We just fixed them.