Andrew Huberman just released a new book called Protocols: An Operating Manual for the Human Body. It’s essentially a 688-page operating manual for our bodies. Something I’ve already been operating for quite a few years without reading the manual.
Huberman is a neuroscientist and Stanford professor who has become popular for taking complicated science and explaining what we can actually do to improve our health, our brains and our lives.
So, let’s get to the good part: What are the “things”?
Get outside and get sunlight in the morning. Walk more. Lift weights. Do some cardio. Eat real food. Drink water. Get enough protein. Manage your stress. Put the screens down before bed. Get enough sleep. Keep learning. Be present. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Deal with the things bothering you…like really process them.
That’s it. I kept thinking there was going to be some sort of epiphany. A magic pill or something. Nope. There isn’t one.
Instead, actual real science has apparently confirmed what our mothers have been telling us our entire lives.
Go outside. Get some fresh air. Eat your vegetables. Drink some water. Stop staring at that screen. Get some sleep. And go take a walk, for God’s sake.
Maybe I didn’t need a 688-page book or a neuroscientist to tell me what my Mom already told me.
We tend to believe that changing our lives requires doing something big – a new diet, a new routine, a new app, a new supplement or some complete reinvention of ourselves that, of course, we plan on starting next week.
Maybe the things that make our lives better aren’t big at all. And it’s stuff we already know.
Take the walk. Put down the phone. Go to bed. Learn something new. Get outside. Deal with something you’ve been avoiding. And every once in a while, stop thinking about what’s next long enough to appreciate what’s happening right now.
None of it is particularly revolutionary. There’s no great guru wisdom here. The revolutionary part may actually be doing it.
Turns out, Mother really does know best.
And yes, Mom, you were right.