It's proven that walking 5.000+ steps a day lowers the risk of many chronic illnesses. But the real sweet spot is 7 to 8 thousand steps, that bring the most benefits for every minute. Walking more than 8.000 steps a day is also doubtless beneficial, although not crucial. The Growth Card (provided) sets gives you "12 check box" room to improve you healthy habit up to 12.000 steps a day. I recommend 7.000 -12.000 steps a day for best body composition and general health. You may choose to alternate walking and jogging\running at a comfortable pace.

Would you prefer to look like Usain Bolt or like Rich Roll? It's all a matter of personal preference (and lots of hard work!) of course. Although the benefits of endurance training and proven, and are many, its the strenuous activity like sprinting that brings optimal development of your muscular system and an (arguably) the most amazing physique. Sprinting, doing burpees and working out on a rowing machine brings generally similar benefits. You may choose one favorite activity or combine 2 or even 3 of them in a day, if you choose to accept this "Bolt challenge". Be advised to alternate those 3 activities to avoid repetitive stress injuries. Check 1 box for every 2 minutes of sprinting \ doing burpees \ rowing.

Push-ups and plank both offer an intense workout in a very short time. Just 30-60 seconds will get your heart pumping, bringing you to Zone 3 or even 4 on your Cardio zones scale. Pushups also shape your chest and shoulders, and the Plank is one of best exercises to build yourself a strong core \ rock-solid abs (and a strong will). Check one checkbox for every 10 pushups you do, and\or every 10 seconds you hold the plank. The goal is to do 120 push-ups \ hold the plank for 2 minutes, per day, total. Alternate every other day or just do your favorite thing if you recover that fast.

Pull-ups (including chin-ups) are a fantastic way to build your upper-body strength. Pull-ups are harder; they primarily target your back and biceps, while engaging many stabilizing muscles in your core, arms, and shoulders, building strong traps. Chin-ups (as sometimes differentiated from "the proper" pull-ups) are also great as they train the muscles of your upper back, chest, and arms, but with the obvious emphasis on your biceps. Bench-press is one similarly strenuous exercise that primarily builds strength (not endurance) that is crucial to build "spartan" pecs, but also front delts and triceps - all while training your spirit also as you grind through the reps experiencing more and more fatigue. (Be sure to have a bench press buddy or stop before failure). Check one checkbox for every 5 reps or pull-ups, chin-ups or bench press. I'd advise to do x5 bench presses with your sub-maximal weight that you can lift 6-7 times before failure, 3-12 times per training session. Alternate with pull-ups (and chin-ups) every other day. Aim to hit 60 pullups daily total \ 60 reps bench press (alternating days) eventually.

Sit-ups improve your legs strength, but also just give your leg muscles SOME work if you live a primarily sedentary lifestyle - as 99% of human population of industrially developed countries do nowadays. Sit-ups are great for robust hormonal health and there is some evidence they might be good for memory too. Be sure to stop at a right (or blunt) angle to safeguard your knees and lower back from trouble (avoid deep squats, especially with weights). Sit-ups are a great break from office work, and can be done almost everywhere, including beside your desk. Check 1 box for every 15 sit-ups with the goal of doing 180 total during the day. Alternatively, climb stairs, and check 1 box for every 2 floors climbed; aim at 24 \ day.

Finding time and place (reachable in a reasonable amount of time) to swim can be tough or easy, depending on where you live. But you have an option to do cycling instead. Both will improve your cardio health in mere months. Every 1 of 12 check boxes is valued at 5 minutes. "Full deck" will give you those 60 min (5x12) of daily swimming or cycling that are a very reasonable goal. If you're a real Spartan (or just train for your next triathlon), you may choose to do BOTH to check full stack (12 boxes) after swimming for 30 min and cycling for 30 min. any time during the day.

I can't stress enough how important it is to de-stress! Watching Netflix is NOT actively de-stressing, but walking in nature, intently watching a sunrise\sunset, contemplating a serene scene akin to a Zen garden or a mountain landscape (or just looking at a photo of it!) is. Stretching is another option that gives you similar benefits (with that added benefit oh, err, actual benefits to your body not just your mind) - you may do gentle yoga, Pilates, Tai-Chi, Chu-Kung, or just go and "stretch your legs" walking your dog (or a cat, or a ferret, for that matter!), or visit sauna \ hammam or even get a massage to "stretch" passively. (Note that GIVING massage, i.e. to your loved one - also counts and actively de-stressing). If you do a LOT of active de-stressing \ stretching on a given day (GOOD for you!) your session can bleed out to the "Sleep" columns (see next paragraph).

They say, "sleep is a minor death", as during sleep our soul (mind, astral body, call it what you may) somehow "departs from the body". You might even be aware of a possibility of so-called "Lucid dreaming" as an alternative to "just" sleeping. Or you may not. But the doctors and scientists completely agree on one thing - getting a good sleep EVERY night is crucial for good overall (and mental) health, as to reducing weight (and surprisingly, sleep burns more fat than any exercise can). Getting 7-10 hours of sleep is a real treasure and a game changer, whenever you're an athlete or just want to stay reasonably healthy in your 40s and 50s. Recent studies show that most people chronically under-sleep (if your sleep 6 hours per night, or have really bad sleep, you're one of them. Build a robust pre-sleep routine and ensure absolute darkness & quiet in the room for best results "for your buck". 1 check box is 1 hour of sleep.

Side B of your GrowthCard (provided) is meant to be practiced - AND checked out - the same day (every day). While side A actions focus on your fitness and recovery, side B is purely about your optimal nutrition. To stay on track with your activities, you need fuel. So don't feel up your private jet with that '91 gasoline! Treat yourself to the best food you can get. What is that, exactly - see on side B. Good nutrition in combination with regular exercise (and some "secret" sleep optimization routines I'll share with you) will get you the best sleep of your life! In just 7 days or so.

Every person, depending on fitness goals, biological sex, age, and other data, needs to consume 40-200 grams of protein daily to meet one's nutritional needs and be healthy \ attain one's fitness and body composition goals. Second column on your Growth Card is dedicated to PROTEIN. You have 12 check boxes, each for 10 grams of protein consumed, or 1 portion of food that contains protein (for example, a piece of chicken, or a slice of sourdough bread). Exact amount of protein you need can be calculated using numerous online services or by consulting a nutritionist such as myself.

Berries are "superfoods" and superfoods are too, of course. "Super-" means that the food is extremely high in antioxidants and\or micronutrients while being low on calories. So, nuts\seeds or, i.e. beef steaks are not "superfoods" because they are very high calories and you can hit your 2500 or so calorie daily max eating just a little. In contrast, you can almost eat as much blueberries, raspberries and strawberries as you like without having to worry about hitting your calorie budget' ceiling for today. Doctors recommend at least a few portions of berries daily for brain health and longevity. We have 12 checkboxes for you to fill every day, 1 box meaning 1 portion - be it a spoonful or a handful, so check a box every time you eat even a little "superfoods" (berry-flavoured jam is normally NOT a superfood).

An old adage "An apple a day keeps the doctor at bay" - is still true nowadays, but you need a lil more than just 1 apple per day. Check 1 box for every portion (no matter the size) of fruit you consumed today (i.e. 1 apple \ 1 cup of grapes \ a few dry figs = 1 checkbox). Remember to eat 2 times more vegetables than fruits (eat twice less fruits than vegetables) as most fruits are _generally_ higher in sugar and calories than vegetables. Choose fresh, ripe organic fruits with minimal carbon footprint whenever reasonably readily available, over dry\canned\imported\frozen\dehydrated fruits. Remember dry fruits are MUCH higher in calories.

Vegetable juice is way more healthy compared to fruit juice that is more commonly used, because it's much lower in total sugar and added sugar. Look for the least processed vegetable juice you can get your hands on - or, ideally, squeeze it yourself. What vegetables are good for juicing? - think carrot, beet (without leaves), kale, cucumber, parsley, celery, spinach, bell peppers, and much more. You should choose different vegetables - diversify, don't settle for 1-3 vegetables you prefer: remember it's your medicine, not a treat, and "nothing tastes as good as the good health".

Complex (and any, really) carbs are essential for good fluids and hormonal balance, strength, stamina, and good sleep. Complex carbs are best to used strategically between training session as long-term fuel. While simple\fast carbs are best during or immediately after your WOD (and any training session), complex carbs can and should be taken at any time during the day (yes, at dinner too). Aim at 12-16 fist\handful-sized portions of complex carbs (including vegetables) through the day, every day. Vegetables and berries are predominantly carbs, so vegetables are "carbs" (not fat, not protein, for sure). Beans, oats, blueberries and pasta, rice are all good exapmles of complex carbs. We don't usually eat "fast" carbs, such as soda pop, icecream, candy or pastries - the only exception being for 1st half-hours after your WOD (workout of the day) that you HAVE to reward yourself for (this doesn't happen every day, for sure).

You MUST get at least 25 grams of fiber (including water-soluble and water-insoluble, just total) per day, if your want to be healthy and physically active. It's best to get your fiber from minimally-processed food, i.e. vegetables, NOT from a powder supplement, for best results both short- and long-term. Some examples of fiber-rich foods include beans, broccoli, avocadoes, sour dough \ full grain \ brown bread, corn (and nothing-funny-added popcorn), carrots, cabbage (any kind), beets, spinach and other leafy greens, apples, and dry fruit. Aim at 25 grams as minimum, or 10+ small portions. An example of a portion - an apple \ a small slice of sour dough bread with guac on it, a few heads of (cooked) broccoli, a handful of popcorn. Check "Complex carbs", "Protein food" boxes at the same time if relevant.

Nuts and seeds are rich in healthy fats, protein, and have some fiber as well. Nuts and seeds add calories very fast, so be careful with them - we count 1 nut \ some seeds (for example, a teaspoonful of seeds) as 1 portion, aiming at ~100g total nuts and seeds per day. Every time you eat nuts or seeds (including as an ingredient in a protein bar, smoothie, or porridge), check a box or two, depending on the portion. Note that nuts and seeds may be hard to digest (especially peanuts) so its best to grind them, or just add them to other food such as your morning super smoothie. Some ideas to kick-start checking out your nuts-and-seeds graph boxes include cashew nuts, pistachio nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and much more. Add of course, nuts are a great and ready to eat snack you can take with you everywhere easily.