77 Tips For A Grown-Up Man
Kurt Starnes
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2011 Kurt Starnes
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this e-book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this e-book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Disclaimer: The author of this book is not a medical doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, fitness instructor, chemist, nutritionist or holder of any other professional qualification. You should practice common sense and consider consulting with your own doctor or appropriate expert before attempting or applying some of the tips in this book.
*******
To my daughter, Ellison,
All the stars in the sky are there for you.
*******
Contents
*******
This book is dedicated to my exceptionally brilliant daughter, whose mere presence has motivated me to improve myself and inspired me to gather my thoughts and express them on these pages. She has changed my life and enriched every moment, even now that she’s almost a teenager. Thank you, Ellison.
To my mom, dad, grandmother and grandfather, who laid the foundation and provided the support I needed to take action and grow, I thank you and love you.
And to my other family members and friends, both online and off, who have supported me with kind words and encouragement, and some with editing, I send you all my most sincere thanks.
I would also like to give special recognition to Lisa Brandt Heckman and Lifehacker (lifehacker.com). Lisa posted a story from Lifehacker, “10 Things You Need To Do If You Were Just Fired,” to Facebook, which inspired me to write. Had it not been for Lisa’s post of the Lifehacker article, this book would probably not have been written.
*******
Preface
Since I’m not a completely Grown-Up Man, the tips in this book touch on aspects of my life in which I think I’ve achieved Grown-Up Man status. It is not my intention to preach from these pages as I could probably learn a lot from you. And, just because a tip appears in this book doesn’t mean I’ve permanently mastered it; many require constant discipline!
I’ve chosen these 77 tips because they’ve worked for me or are worthy goals. This list is neither definitive nor exhaustive and each tip may not apply to you. Scores of tips have been excluded because I considered them too obvious. Many included tips are general and stand on their own, while others are just starting points for further discussion or research.
These tips are drawn from my lifetime of ups and downs and from the people who were there along the way to give me a hand. I hope you find something in here that makes you think and motivates you to improve yourself. I endeavor to do my darndest to keep growing up and adding to this list.
*******
Introduction
An important theme throughout the past several years of my life, and thus this book, is the sustainability of my actions. My qualifying question is, “Is it likely that I will maintain this action that I start today for most of the rest of my life?” My thoughts on diet and exercise especially reflect this theme of sustainability.
My general life philosophies are mostly derived from observing and listening to my parents and grandparents and experiencing the effect of their advice. They’ve typically been correct.
While my own parenting philosophies may be somewhat unproven — my daughter is just now almost a teenager — all signs appear to point to success. So far. My daughter’s mom plays a critical role as well. Two loving parents who get along and share a deep, common love for the child, or children, is paramount. But, that’s another book!
This book will be most helpful if:
You have access to a library or computer that you can use to delve deeper into some of the tips on this list;
You have read this book’s disclaimer and know that I don’t hold any kind of professional qualification;
You are smart enough not to do anything suggested in this book without reasonable thought and, if needed, consultation with a properly qualified professional or expert;
You know that nothing worthwhile comes quickly or easily; and
You would like to live a long, healthy and satisfying life.
*******
Chapter 1: Eat Healthy
Being healthy and fit won’t eliminate life’s struggles, but it will improve your ability to manage adversity. If you physically feel good, your outlook will improve and your brain will work better.
You don’t need another diet book telling you what is healthy and what is junk food because you already know this. I’ll make a few suggestions, but this chapter and book will not help you pick foods or plan your meals.
What you need to know is exactly how many calories you are consuming each day and the distribution of carbohydrate, fat and protein calories in your diet. You may think you’re eating well, but until you log every item you consume you’re just guessing.
1) Track your calories. Knowing your daily calorie count is absolutely necessary if you want to gain a meaningful understanding of your diet. Sites like Daily Burn (dailyburn.com) and Livestrong (livestrong.com) maintain large databases of grocery and restaurant foods that make it easy to find and log the foods you eat, and track your caloric intake as you go. While both sites offer premium, paid memberships, the features mentioned here are available with free memberships.
After an initial set-up, both sites will show your daily calories burned against daily calories consumed. A few months of food logging should educate you enough so that you can continue forward without the need to record every snack and meal. I do occasionally slip-up, so a refresher course in meal tracking helps get me back in line and adds some discipline to my routine.
Just knowing where I am in my calorie count helps me manage my intake. And here’s a side-tip: don’t let everyone know how many calories you just ate or the details of your diet plan unless they ask. This tip comes by way of someone advising me!
2) Track your carbohydrate, fat and protein intake. Before you change your diet, you need to understand the distribution of carbohydrate, protein and fat calories in the meals you eat. As you log your meals, both Daily Burn and Livestrong will chart this distribution on a daily basis.
When I first started logging meals, I was surprised to discover that I was getting well over 50% of my daily calories from carbohydrates, which is generally considered too much.
Don’t obsess over some exact proportion, just keep it balanced in somewhat equal measures. I try to get about 40% of my calories from carbohydrates and 30% of calories from protein and fat respectively. This is a good, general rule, but you should conduct your own research or consider checking with a professional to see if your needs may be different.
Just as you’ll learn about the calorie content of different foods by following tip No. 1, you’ll also learn the carbohydrate, fat and protein calorie distribution in the foods you eat if you follow this tip.
After several days, take a look at your diet logs. Are you consuming many more calories than you are burning? Is one component of your carbohydrate, fat or protein consumption disproportionate from the others? If so, you already know what you need to do.
3) Get a small scale for your kitchen. This is an important tool for accurately weighing food items you need to log which are not already measured. I bought a digital postal scale at an office supply store, but you may already have a scale around your home. Don’t worry, you won’t need to weigh food for the rest of your life; after a few months your weight estimating skills will be more finely tuned.
4) Eat eggs. The seeds of animal life are rich in a broad spectrum of critical nutrients. Studies show that cholesterol in eggs does not translate to higher cholesterol in humans. I eat a couple of plain, boiled eggs a day for a low-calorie, protein rich morning snack.
(Search: health benefits of eggs)
5) Make and eat steel-cut oatmeal. Buy a can of the real deal, McCann’s, read the directions and make it right. One cup of dry oats should yield about two pounds of cooked oats, or about four eight-ounce servings. Eat a serving and store the rest in the refrigerator. When you’re ready for more, weigh out eight ounces of cooked oatmeal and a dash of water into a microwave safe cup or bowl and heat until warm. For healthy sweetening, I add a tablespoon of raw honey and a teaspoon of bee pollen per oatmeal serving.
Studies have found that eating oats is one of the most effective ways to lower cholesterol levels.
(Search: health benefits of oatmeal)
6) Take flax seed and/or fish oil. I’ve been taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements in the form of flax seed oil almost daily for over 20 years. At a minimum, I think this has improved and preserved the condition of my skin. While I believe the health benefits go well beyond this, I can’t definitively say more. But, scientific studies have been verifying some of the historical claims regarding flax seed oil, including its ability to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease, among other good things.
In addition to flax seed oil, you should also research fish oil, which is another excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Studies show that fish oil is superior to flax seed oil for supplying the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA.