“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique.”
Martha Graham
“I told my doctor I get very tired when I go on a diet, so he gave me pep pills. Know what happened? I ate faster.”
Joe E. Lewis
“Health and cheerfulness naturally beget each other.”
Joseph Addison
A proper supplement regimen is the capstone to a vivacious and robust lifestyle.
Your vitality affects every thought that you have and every action that you take. It is the battery that fuels your charisma, enthusiasm and sexual magnetism. Vitality is your foundation. Without it, you cannot live your purpose, generate influence or find ways to enjoy life more.
Yet, very few people take their vitality seriously, until they get a bad medical report. I have friends who used to be juggernauts in terms of productivity, making money, and living large but they never focused on their vitality and the importance of a healthy diet. As a result, their bodies have started to crap out, negatively affecting every other aspect of their lives.
I’ve worked for companies that would hire speakers for thousands of dollars because they were experts in business and entrepreneurship. The speakers would tell their personal stories and give tips on how to generate confidence and develop leadership skills, but they rarely discussed how to boost vitality.
Maximizing your health and well-being is the first step to improving anything in your life. Whether it’s making money, developing as a leader, or finding your purpose in life, vitality is the launching pad. People who are robust and vivacious get promoted faster, get put in charge of projects, and connect with people better.
The key to living a vivacious life is eating plants and animals, working out intensely and intermittently, playing and having unstructured fun, and sleeping. I’ve written about all of these subjects, including ways to eat healthy, in previous posts. But I have yet to talk about the final piece of the puzzle: pills.
Tips on healthy eating or how to avoid belly fat are not enough to become a sexual Tyrannosaurus rex, you need pills. The following three supplements have been proven by science to dramatically boost vitality.
Fish Oil Pills (1,500-2,000mg EPA and 1,000-1,500mg DHA per day)
My experience:
After 1-3 days, I noticed that I was able to focus my attention better. I was able to concentrate on a single task and avoid distractions easier than before.
After 1-3 weeks, my exercise recovery time decreased and I was able to fall asleep better at night. My concentration continued to improve and my productivity skyrocketed. My sex drive increased and I stopped craving snacks and coffee throughout the day.
After 1-3 months, my exercise recovery time continued to decrease and my cardiovascular health improved. I got my blood lipids measured and found that my triglycerides (bad) were incredibly low at 42mg/dL and my HDL levels (good) were at 48mg/dL. I recently had my lipid profile analyzed again and found that my triglycerides had stayed the same and my HDL levels had risen to 56mg/dL.
Fish oil is derived from the tissues of oily fish and contains the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These two fatty acids are precursors of certain eicosanoids that are known to reduce inflammation throughout the body. Numerous studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids improve concentration and overall mental health while drastically lowering the risk of chronic diseases such as arthritis, heart disease, kidney disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Several animal and human studies have shown that fish oil raises dopamine levels in the brain. Dopamine is like catnip to your inner T. rex. This neurotransmitter is not only good for combating depression and increasing confidence, it also amplifies sexual desire and sexual magnetism. Dopamine stimulates the release of testosterone, a hormone that focuses your attention and motivates you, and it triggers the excretion of certain pheromones (chemical factors) that draw others toward you.
Most people simply eat too many grains and too much meat from grain fed animals to properly adjust their omega-3 (anti-inflammatory) to omega-6 (inflammatory) fatty acid ratios without supplementation. These ratios are completely out of whack for average person. Popping fish oil pills with large doses of omega-3 fatty acids will help you boost vitality and repair any inflammatory damage that has been done.
Vitamin D3 Pills (4,000-6,000 UIs per day – that’s not a typo)
My experience:
After 1-3 weeks, my entire body started to hum. The best way I can describe it is that I felt more alive. My mind was sharper and I felt stronger. I definitely noticed an overall increase in my vitality and sexual magnetism. Also, my skin looked and felt healthier; blemishes cleared up and it gave off a subtle glow (most noticeable an hour or two after taking the pills).
After 1-3 months, I stopped getting sick, ever. I used to get sick 2-3 times a year, especially when I was stressed or traveling a lot. Not anymore. In the last year and a half, which included finishing my thesis and traveling 100,000 miles, I did not catch a single cold.
Vitamin D3 is a fat-soluble secosteroid. In humans, Vitamin D3 is unique because it can be both ingested and synthesized from cholesterol when sun exposure is adequate. Deficiency of Vitamin D3 has been linked to an increased risk of at least 20 different types of cancer, as well as depression, back pain, insulin resistance, pre-eclampsia during pregnancy and macular degeneration.
Vitamin D3 is a cofactor involved in dozens of immune functions. The vitamin has a symbiotic relationship with T-cells and helps destroy bacteria and other pathogens that make you sick. Additionally, Vitamin D3 balances sex hormones in women, increasing progesterone by 13% and oestrogen by 21%. In men, it boosts sperm count, increases testosterone and improves libido.
Vitamin D3 is the only vitamin the body can manufacture from sunlight (UVB). Yet, with today’s indoor living and the extensive use of sunscreen, millions of people are deficient. Even individuals who spend a lot of time in the sun may have dangerously low Vitamin D3 levels. Studies have found that most people living north of the Tropic of Cancer (almost everyone in the U.S.) are likely to be deficient.
In 2010, I had my Vitamin D3 levels tested and found out I was deficient. I understood the importance of a healthy diet, yet my levels were at 25ng/dL (30-74ng/mL is considered normal). To get more Vitamin D3, I started spending more time in the sun and even used tanning beds for 20-30 minutes, 2-3 times a week. The result: my levels rose to 30ng/mL. Pathetic.
Next, I started supplementing with 2,000 UI Vitamin D3 pills. I took one tablet a day for a month, and then 2-3 tablets a day. Once I started consuming 4,000-6,000 UIs of Vitamin D3 a day, I felt absolutely incredible. I got my blood drawn again and my levels had increased to 70ng/mL. Perfect.
Iodine Pills (225 mcg per day)
My experience:
After 1-3 months, I felt better all around. I also noticed that I was able to maintain my optimal body weight easier than before. Previously, my weight would fluctuate 5 pounds up or down every couple of weeks.
Iodine is important for the production of the thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which are primarily responsible for regulation of metabolism. A deficiency of iodine leads to decreased production of T3 and T4, enlarges the thyroid tissue and can cause a disease known as goiter. Iodine deficiency is also associated with infertility, decreased sex drive, autoimmune disease and thyroid cancer.
Unless you are sprinkling a lot of iodized salt on your food, you are probably not getting enough iodine each day. Check your labels, see a doctor, and start popping kelp tablets. Likewise, get your Vitamin D3 and blood lipid levels tested, and start supplementing.
Feed your inner T. rex and put the capstone on your vivacious lifestyle by taking fish oil, Vitamin D3 and iodine pills daily. For optimal absorption, consume all three of these supplements in the morning after a fatty breakfast (e.g. eggs, avocado).
The word ‘capstone’ is key. These pills can only supplement your vitality, not replace it. Focus on how to boost vitality as a whole, not just how to avoid belly fat. Your overall well-being relies on more than one or two tips on healthy living. Find ways to eat, workout, and sleep better. Then, slide the capstone into place .
