After 500 shows of the B.rad podcast, I figured it was time to record a helpful, useful, “Start here” episode that you can share with friends, family, and loved ones! Inspired by a friend of mine who had just started to become acquainted with my podcast and asked me: “What’s a good episode to start with?,” this show will provide you with an overview of health and lifestyle optimization tips and will cover the basics from a big picture perspective. In this show, you won’t hear anything too science-y or intimidating, but you will learn how to optimize essential elements of your lifestyle, such as sleep, diet, movement, fitness and stress management. You’ll hear about methods for establishing an evening ritual for sleep, easy changes you can make to your sleep environment, why sleep, rest, and recovery are #1, the specific foods that are literally toxic for your cells and cause you to accumulate excess body fat, and why it’s so important to prioritize protein. I also talk about the concerns I have with restrictive diets, share my dietary strategy and what I typically eat throughout the day, explain why general everyday movement ranks above adhering to a devoted fitness regimen, and talk about why walking is the centerpiece of a healthy, active, energetic life. You will also learn why sprint workouts are so essential, how to adapt them to your needs if you are unable to perform one on flat ground just yet (and the various alternative ways to do a sprint exercise), and simple but effective tips for managing stress. If you, or anyone you know, wants to clean up their act and start living healthily without breaking the bank or harshing your gig too much, this is the episode to listen to. You will learn how to wind down at night without overstimulating yourself and messing with your sleep, which healthy foods to emphasize, the bare minimum you can do fitness wise to still make a difference, how to eradicate and deal with stress in your life, and why you should make things in life work and never settle for dysfunction, distractions, and avoidance. Got any comments or questions? Engage with us by reaching out to [email protected].    TIMESTAMPS: Today’s podcast is going to give you all you need to know at a glance to lead a long, healthy, happy life. The first category is about sleep, rest and recovery. [00:47] The greatest offense to our sleeping habits and cycling optimally through all phases of sleep is artificial light and digital stimulation. [03:08] When it is time to wake up in the morning naturally, there is a suppression of melatonin and elevating of serotonin, the mood-elevating, feel good hormone. [10:30] Diet has become very controversial and confusing. The nourishment you put into your body will make or break your health and your longevity potential. [14:25] When you eat nutritious foods, they are highly satiating. [10:08] Proteins are the most important nutrient that we can obtain from our diet. [26:14] Carbohydrates play an important role in your energy, your calorie expenditure, and, in general, your ability to perform. [29:55] A chronic overdose of high sugar-containing processed foods is going to overwhelm your body and have toxic consequences. [43:49] Movement, in general, is more important than adhering to a devoted fitness program. [45:53] Walking is the baseline for all manner of peak performance athletic activity. [51:21] Fitness entails putting your body under resistance. There are many ways you can do this. [55:18] You do not want to engage in chronic overly-stressful exercise. [01:02:45] To focus on stress management, you want to tone down all the instant gratification hyperconnectivity. [01:05:50] Remember to wind down at the end of the day and take breaks from hyperconnectivity. [01:10:40] Go to your kitchen pantry and rid yourself of processed foods and make a new shopping list of nutrient dense foods. [[01:11:40] Make walking a priority in your life. [01:1