☀️ Good Morning, Lovers and Friends! Happy Valentine’s Day.

You didn’t think a newsletter about Love and Happiness could resist a special Valentine’s Day issue, did you? 

♥️ Good, because today’s bonus issue is all about love, cardiovascular health and more gushy-heart stuff.

This issue is free to the public, but feel free to subscribe if you appreciate my work!

On the menu this week 📖

Did ya make a reservation??

• Appetizer 🎶 Lovey Dovey Music

• Main Course 🫡 Lead With Love

• Dessert 💪🏾 Help Ya Heart Out Share Down to Earth

Music Made with Love 🎼

To Be Loved - Jackie Wilson

“Someone to care/someone to share…” The best part about Love is that someone else can enjoy it with you.

Beres Hammond - No Goodbye

'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

Lead With Love 🫡

I learned a lot from the video below: Game Theory: How it Reveals Strategic Keys to Life, the Universe, and … Pretty Much Everything!

It’s an awesome masterclass in how to win “The Game”. This whole life thing. 

It’s 30 minutes, so buckle up. Definitely worth it though.

I wrote about how the strategies resonated with me as a leader.

Life is a game. 

We’re all playing for something, whether its a more lucrative salary, or the affection of the spin class instructor.

Competition during this game of life can get ugly.

Some players are ruthless.

Others are too careful or generous in their approach, allowing competitors play them instead.

So, what’s the “right way” to play this game?

If the answer feels distant, I implore you to follow the heart.

Love! Love is the answer. Science says so.

Researchers studying Game Theory found that the most effective approach to competing in a collaborative game is through cooperation.

That means playing nice with everyone, even your competitors.

Especially your competitors. 

The researchers found that the most cooperative player strategy was the most successful.

Destructive, vengeful and petty players always finished around the bottom. 

I find this to be quite analagous to real life.

Constantly, we’re presented opportunitties to be kind, generous and forgiving.

Yet, just as often, we choose not to be.

Why is this?

Why is the game more challenging when Love is not present?

It’s so clearly programmed this to work this way.

Inflicting harm of any kind on others, holding grudges against them, and taking advantage of their weaknesses cheats everyone involved in the game.

It’s a zero-sum game. 

Instead, ‘playing’ with kindness, bravery and integrity is the healthiest and most sustainable mothod.

 This strategy works in nearly every situation. 

I find this comforting. 

It gives me the strength to continue being a man leading with kindness.

Just keeping it simple and clean.

But don’t break my heart. You’ll be hearing back!

Hold Ya Heart

Just the good stuff for your heart’s strength and overall health 🫀 Sorry, chocolate.

Andrew Huberman’s Assault Bike Routine 🚵🏾‍♂️

Andrew Huberman, the internet’s health and wellness sweetheart, shared his science-backed protocol for optimal heart-training, otherwise known as Vo2 Max.

It doesn’t take a neuroscientist to know that going absolutely bananas on an assault bike jacks your heart rate up quite high. Sustaining that elevated heart rate for a brief period is quite beneficial for heart strength and function.

This is called High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

Huberman’s HIIT routine involves 20-60 second sprints on an assault bike, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated 6-12 times. This routine works with sprints on foot or regular bicycles.

Wild-Caught Alaskan Salmon 🍣

Eat like a grizzly, live like a grizzly. Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These fatty acids have been shown to reduce inflammation, decrease triglyceride levels, lower blood pressure, and improve overall heart health. GRRR!!!

Beets and Watermelon 🍉

Seeing a pattern with these dark-red foods? Beets and watermelon are also great for your heart, as they contain citruline, an amino acid that produces nitric oxide. Nitric oxide improves cardiovascular health and excercise performance. It regulates blood flow throughout the entire body, making it a go-to for athletes and high-performers.

Wim Hof Breathing 🧘🏾‍♂️

Wim Hof breathing is one of my favorite ways to improve heart health. By rapidly inhaling and exhaling, we elevate our heart rate and rapidly oxidize it. Then, when holding our breath, we are strengthening our ability to deal with heightened levels of Co2 in the blood, which can feel quite challenging. Overall, this method improves performance, breathing, reslience and can even protect against pathogens.

Thank you for reading Down To Earth 🌍

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