This weekend, a whole bunch of us from the FinerMinds team and MindValley had the amazing opportunity of going to see Tony Robbins at his famous Unleash The Power Within seminar. It was 4 days of self-awareness, fun, and insight followed by fatigue.
For those who’ve never gone to one of Tony’s events, they’re incredible. And extremely exhaustive. You’re basically jumping up and down and screaming for 4-days straight. Not to mention the long hours.
But it’s worth it. Self-discovery aside, one of Tony’s most important talks was surprisingly about health!
Most of the time, your health or diet are just side notes to the more important stuff like releasing negative beliefs or discovering your passions. But at Unleash The Power Within, Tony dedicated an entire day to just health and diet.
It was a pretty eye-opening speech. Not to mention a little gruesome. Images and videos of debeaked chickens and the disgusting conditions in which they live in sent quite a chill down all our spines. The information was packed and the value was more than enough to last a lifetime, but at the end of the day we were asked to do this 10-day challenge.
At first we all thought it was a little extreme.
But the funny thing now is that half the people at MindValley are doing this 10-day challenge. And even if you’re not too keen on your health or figure it’s not important enough. Think about it this way. If you want to change the world, fulfill your dreams, live your passions, and accomplish all your goals, you’re gonna need energy and a lot of it. And where does that energy come from?
Your body.
If your mind is willing but your body is not, you’re going to hit some obstacles. So why put yourself through unnecessary hardship and take care of your body and health. It’s not as hard as you think and it’ll give you a sense of achievement and power that will make any other goal of yours seem easy.
So if you want to set a new standard for your life and have energy flow into your mind and body, check out this 10-day challenge.
I can’t put down every single detail and reason from the entire day but I can give you the most important takeaways from the 10-day challenge so that you can replicate it for yourself.
The 10-Day Challenge:
1. Practice deep breathing. It can be a breathing meditation or just simply take 10 deep breaths 3 times a day.
2. Drink half your body weight in ounces everyday.
3. Eat a diet of water-rich foods. Make this at least 70% of your diet.
4. Supplement your diet with essential fatty acids like Omega 3 and Omega 6. You can get these at any health store or even your supermarket.
5. Make your body more alkaline instead of acidic. This means eat lots of green vegetables. Like green veggies, almonds, avocados, lemons, and limes. And avoid the acid-forming foods like animal meats, dairy products, sugars, and caffeine.
6. Add fresh lemon to your water everyday to help boost your alkalinity.
7. Do 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 3–5 times a week. Walk or swim or jog or even take an aerobics class. Don’t forget to figure out your ideal heart rate = 180 — your age.
8. Drink water before and after your meals but never during.
9. Eat in a relaxed state and don’t mix carbs and proteins together and have fruit on an empty stomach.
10. Exercise your mind: Show gratitude, think about positive memories and future visualizations.
11. Avoid processed fats, animal flesh, dairy products, and other acid addictions (alcohol, sugars, vinegar, nicotine, whites, and drugs)
I know all that seems a little intimidating but try it and see what happens. You might be surprised at the end of 10 days.
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I was very ill a few years ago and thought I would die. I did a lot of research and discovered being vegan for health is not new!! It seemed like the only hope so about four years ago I switched to a vegan, wholefood lifestyle (the wholefood is as important as being vegan) in my opinion, and learned about water and salt intake. My husband willingly joined me and today I am 58 years old, slim with no big bottom or tummy!, without ‘dieting’ or going to the gym and we are both youthful, smarter and happier. Being vegan has raised our consciousness and our intellect and enhanced our skills. Amazingly, I can now pick up an insect on the wing and eject it from the room! We have passed this lifestyle information on to many other people and they, too, have become slim, well and happier. Some, of course, consider it ‘too weird’ and are not interested. Carmela
Could you explain why one should not drink water during the meal, only before and after eating? Thank you.
Hi Nancy,
Drinking any liquid during a meal or soon after or just before, dilutes the stomach acids needed to begin the breakdown of certain foods. The older your are the less acid you make, all of which impairs digestion, reducing absorption of nutrients.
Blessinga X 10,
Ed
Thanks for this amazing post! I have to say I loved Tony’s approach about health, simple, concise and macise. If you don’t take of your health now, then when?
The challenge is going quite ok, I have to say, you don’t miss anything and you feel full of energy. It’s like a clean up, your body almost screems “thank you for giving me the right things I really need to perform and live an outstanding life”
Best wishes to all of you who are making the challenge and for those who take their lives to new standards. It’s freaking awesome!
Hi,
Tony is amazing and his events are life-changing so I know how you all feel coming back from them. I haven’t been to UPW and wanted to attend in Singapore but was unable due to scheduling. I intend to go to Life Mastery early in 2010 which also contains a great deal of information about food and diet!! Tony is a wealth of information on this subject.…..
My question however is, could you please clarify (point number 9), is that DON’T have fruits on an empty stomach or DO have fruits on an empty stomach? and what is the reason for whichever one it is?
Thanks!
One other thing that Lemons are good for = Combating Kidney Stones!
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This all seems very doable and quite possible to do and makes alot of sense, but, NO ANIMAL FLESH? I get nauseous just thinking about EXCLUDING it from my diet…
So my question is this — How would i go about excluding meat from my diet, if i tend to feel sick and drained and unable to function if i do not have a portion of meat either for breakfast, or early lunch?
A very concise and practicable diet. I will like to understand more how the #2 challenge on drink half the body weight in ounces works.Assuming my body wieght is 260 lbs, how much ounces will I drink? Thank you
It’s all good, but easier said than done. When the entire world around you is eating meat, drinking caffeine and alcohol etc you end up looking like a faddist and it’s hard to sustain, expecially on those days when you are tired and hungry, you have to meet that deadline or simply are tempted by what on any other terms is a splendid meal. I fell off the vegetarian wagon after 5 years of slogging as it seemed against the world, and while my alcohol and caffeine intake is much reduced and my water intake much higher than it used to be, I can’t say it’s either given me more energy or that it’s much fun
Reply to Sarah’s question!
Fruit digests quicker than other foods, hence eating it on an empty stomache allows it to be digested at it’s own pace. If it’s eaten after a meal it can create indigestion as the other food will be digesting at a slower pace. The worst indigestion I ever had was eating a cool slice of water melon after a wonderful paella! It wasn’t until I did a workshop relating food groups related to blood types that I understood why. Incidently I had previously been diagnosed as sensative to certain foods and to cut them out of my diet. When I saw the blood group/food chart all that I had been advised to avoid were not suitable for my blood group! I eat lots of fruit and veg and whole grains and have had great results in medical tests.
Tony’s information is great but the amount of water seems high!
I became a Vegan two years ago. I also gave up cigarettes, caffeine, alcohol, over-the-counter medications (wasn’t taking prescriptions), processed foods, etc. I began running and consciously choosing to take care of myself — largely as a result of reading, Anthony Robbins’ “Diet For a New America,” (no relation to Tony Robbins) which I HIGHLY recommend. It was a little tough in the beginning, but within weeks, I was jumping out of bed in the morning with the freshness and energy I hadn’t had since childhood. At a regular checkup, my blood pressure was 104/60 — which at 42 was lower than it had ever been in my entire life. The chronic symptoms of indigestion, constipation, allergy-related watery eyes and nausea, mood swings, hot flashes, and other pesky things that I had come to accept as a part of aging — disappeared! AND after a ten year struggle with periodic bleeding ulcers — POOF! — they were gone. And as if that isn’t enough, I began to LOOK younger, too. Aging wasn’t making me sick — I was. Of course, I didn’t know it, because with the exception of smoking, I was doing what I thought everyone else was doing.
I am absolutely convinced that if the scientific information presented in Diet for a New America were to become mainstream, we would not have a health care crisis in this country. We would be well.
Thank you for posting this information and challenge. I look forward to the day when our “food manufacturers” supply us with healthy — as well as animal and planet friendly — foods, in response to our awareness-based demand for it. That is after all capitalism at its best.
REPLY to Sue’s Question:
Our bodies do need protein, but there are many ways to get protein — and our bodies need much less than the mainstream food pyramid suggests. Nuts, beans, potatoes, hummus, tofu and tofu products, oatmeal, whole grain cereals, etc. provide protein without any of the “bad stuff” and in such a way that you are satiated without craving more high-fat protein.
It has been scientifically proven (read “Diet for a New America” or “Skinny Bitch”, for example) that many cancers, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and a myriad of other diseases can not only be avoided, but REVERSED by eliminating animal products from our diets. It does mean doing a little research and trial-and-error to find the foods that work for you — the ones that you genuinely enjoy, but knowing that you’re taking care of yourself and feeling the effects is more than worth it.
For a short article, this pretty well sums it up. To calm all you meat eaters (me too), you don’t have to give up meat. But you should keep it to 3–6 oz. a day. Animal products do contain important nutrients.
#9 seemed odd to me too. Never eat another sandwich and never have fruit with it? That pretty well kills off healthy lunches.
But aside for that — it is true that a healthy lifestyle will give you more energy and clearer thinking. I’m 53, a size 2, and take no meds. I run circles around everyone. I don’t like it when I feel fat or sluggish, do you?
Remember that these are general instructions. Each of us has a unique body. It says to drink half your body weight in ounces. It does not say the drink to be water. At 240 pounds that would be 120 ounces or ten 12 ounce drinks per day. I got in serious trouble drinking too much water! I play tennis in the Texas heat, drinking water before the match, during, and after. I ended up passing out but not before calling 911. I woke up to EMS sticking needles in my arm and an ambulance ride to the hospital. Doc said I had drunk too much water and deluded my electrolytes to dangerous levels. He told me, because I do NOT have high blood pressure to pound the salt on all my food and to drink more liquids with electrolytes and not so much water.
All of Tony’s suggestions make sense, but the drinking half your body weight in ounces.…? That sounds like a lot of liquid. How do you measure it and what kind of liquid? I know there are 16 ounces to the pound, but at 12 and a half stone = 175 pounds divided by 2 = 87.5 pounds x 16 = 1400 ounces? That’s a lot of liquid. Am I getting something wrong here?
Hi Anna — your measurement would be 87.5 ounces.
Tony means to halve your bodyweight, and use that number as ounces.
175 divided by 2 = 87.5 ounces.
5 years ago I adopted tony’s plan, exercising in the morning only eating fruit till lunchtime (I know that he has changed that part now) drinking the water with lemon juice alkalising using green msm powder/capsules . Getting up around 6 am and going on my treadmill while listening to “The Get The Edge” program. The result I lost 3.5 stone I was well toned full of energy and enthusiam for the new day. My doctor said she couldn’t believe my blood tests saying I thought they had made a mistake.…..Here is the best bit though she said ” I don’t know what your doing but keep doing it, you have put 20years onto your life” I was walking on air when I left her office.
#9 of the 10-Day Challenge confused me. Are we not supposed to eat fruit on an empty stomach, or are we only to eat fruit on an empty stomach? Here’s how it reads:
9. Eat in a relaxed state and don’t mix carbs and proteins together and have fruit on an empty stomach.
So, what’s the answer? When do I eat fruit successfully? Empty stomach or don’t have with empty stomach?
Thanks for a reply!
Linda
eat fruit on an empty stomach..fruit is higher in sugars , breaks down fast
Thanks Tony,
Taking responsibility for my personal health needed to be challanged. I have not allowed myself to exercise the healthy lifestyle I believe God has intended for me to live for some time. Your suggestions, are universally sound. I agree that the less toxic we become, the more able become. Thanks again for lighting the fire to guide me back. sincerely, Cotton