During challenging times like these, it’s easy to feel both depressed and powerless. But real talk: one of the best things you can do right now is take care of yourself. After all, you can’t protect yourself against a dangerous virus and help others unless you are running on all cylinders.
With that in mind, we reached out to one of our favorite trainers, functional wellness consultant Angelo Grinceri, for some tips on revamping your lifestyle this month. What follows is a simple four-week program: each week introduces a new goal to help you optimize your body, mind and spirit through what you drink and eat, how you breathe and how you play.
“Random acts of healthy are easy to accomplish and just as easy to forget,” Grinceri says. “Converting multiple healthy activities into a daily lifestyle is the real challenge. Reaching a goal consists of taking steps, and the best goals take years to accomplish. So I’m inviting you to take your time and build habits that become ingrained into your way of being, becoming your new lifestyle.”
So here are four weeks of tips and products to make April the month where you start to get healthier, fitter and stronger than ever, despite all the chaos around you.
Week 1: Hydration
Goal: “Drink three glasses of water — that’s right, three glasses — every morning as soon as you wake up, before you do anything else. Hydrating first thing in the morning spikes your metabolism, improves flexibility and gives you energy. Avoid snacking before your water, avoid coffee before your water. Can you complete this 7 days straight? Make sure that water is as pure as possible. I use the Berkey 2-stage water filter.”
Week 2: Nourishment
Goal: “Build on top of week 1’s morning hydration by taking a green supplement or eating three servings of vegetables. I swear by Fulvic Ionic Minerals, which help prepare human cells to able to absorb nutrients of other superfoods, vitamins, and herbs to be utilized effectively. Note that you can only progress to week 2 after you successfully complete week 1. Be honest with yourself, that’s the most important part of all of this.”
Week 3: Empowerment
Goal: “You’re hydrated, you’re adding essential minerals into your body, and now we’re going to use breathing exercises to build your body’s resilience towards everyday stress. I prefer the Wim Hof Breathing Method, as it really challenges me every time I do it.”
Step 1: Sit or lay down
Step 2: Take 30 deep breaths — Wim says “fully in!”
Step 3: After the 30th breath, fully exhale and hold your breath for as long as you can. Aim for 30 seconds and try to build yourself up to three-plus minutes.
Step 4: When you need to breathe, take a big inhale and hold it for 15 seconds.
Step 5: After 15 seconds, exhale and start over with your 30 breaths.
Step 6: Complete two or more rounds
“I like to listen to relaxing music while focusing on my breathing, and a good pair of wireless headphones like these V-Moda Crossfades really helps. Do this every day and message me on Instagram to tell me what has changed in your life, this breathwork is empowering!”
Week 4: Fun
Goal: “The fourth week is a rewarding week. It’s time for you to explore the non-workaholic side of yourself. What’s something you used to do when you were younger? Did you play an instrument? Did you dance? Did you ride bikes? Did you draw? Did you play basketball? Did you build models? I grew up mountain biking and racing motocross, so for me this means hitting the trails on my Giant Glory. Do one fun/creative thing every single day for a week. This will be much harder than you’re expecting, but I promise it will be rewarding.”
