Five simple habits that are certain to produce outsized results in your life. Have you ever seen any other animal intentionally exercising for physical fitness or meditating for mental health?

Therein lies the answer.

All other animals naturally fit into planet Earth, we modern humans don’t.

1. Walking upright on two legs made us humans. Walking increased our brain size and made us more intelligent.

For most of our history, we were hunters and gatherers walking all day. Multiple scientific studies have proven that walking increases health, intelligence, and creativity.

Everyone from Socrates to Steve Jobs walked to stimulate creativity and clarity of thought.

As a lasting legacy of Jobs' love of walking, the open, circular design of the new Apple Park was specifically designed to foster long walks and creative bouts.

2. Eating: Hunters and Gathers walked all day foraging for food. What did they eat? organic, seasonal, and locally produced food.

Cavemen will be shocked to know that their food is being packaged and sold as innovative and high-end products in modern supermarkets.

Remember, evolution especially gut health does not keep pace with technology. if your dinner plate is materially different from your grandparents' plate, you are asking for trouble.

3. Breathing: It is so fundamental, breathing is living. Breathing properly increases oxygen flow to the brain and enhances creativity and longevity.

Pranayama is a fundamental aspect of yoga practice that involves breath control techniques developed 5000 years ago.

Shallow breathing and chest tightening are signs of stress and anxiety.

Learning to breathe properly is certain to increase health, wealth, and happiness.

4.  People: We need good friends and colleagues around. Spend time with people who help you become the best version of yourself.

All five fingers are different, yet they function well together. Similarly, seek out a group or tribe that embraces and enhances your uniqueness.

If you find yourself needing to fundamentally change who you are or exerting significant effort to fit in, it may be a sign that you're not in the right group.

5.  Place: Humans have thrived and civilizations have sprouted near water and mountains.

It is no coincidence that great living cities are on the banks of rivers or shorelines. Humanity has thrived from Benaras to Cairo to London to Rome to New York.

Mountains, with their majestic and awe-inspiring presence, have long been associated with inspiring creativity and fostering a sense of wonder. People living in the mountains live longer and happier.

Note:

I live in London, I can walk for miles along the Thames path without worrying about traffic.  The view from the top of Greenwich Park continues to inspire me, the photo from my iPhone is below.

“Live, Laugh, and Learn every day”

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