Own the Day, Own Your Life

Do you feel like your life is awesome? If you do, this book probably isn’t for you. Because most of us can’t relate to that feeling. In fact, most people’s lives feel so far from awesome that they drag through each day, hoping for the end, only to fall into bed beside their partners, feeling too tired to even enjoy sex. (That’s an especially sad level of tired!) But wouldn’t it be great to revamp your life? To feel supercharged with purpose each day? To feel satisfied with yourself and your place in the world? As impossible as that might sound, the author knows from personal experience that nothing could be further from the truth. So, over the course of this summary, we’re going to take a look at how he optimized his life and how you can do the same.

“First I drink the coffee, then I do the things.” Most people would say that if they had a morning slogan, that would be it. But would you believe that your coffee doesn’t actually give you the boost you think it does? Sure, because we’re addicted to caffeine, our morning cup of Joe helps us with that little buzz we think we need. But because your body becomes dehydrated through a full night’s sleep, it needs rehydration more than anything. And due to its acidic nature, coffee, unfortunately, is a dehydrator! That might not sound so bad at first; surely, you can just grab some water at some point and catch up.

But that’s not necessarily the case. Because when you kickstart your day with coffee, your body kind of goes into shock. It doesn’t know what to do when it’s hit with all that acid and energy, so your body processes it as a sort of ‘fight or flight’ response. That’s why your body responds by flooding you with all that nervous energy. However, if your brain is desperate for its morning cup of “fast juice,” that’s not to say that you have to give up coffee forever. Instead, you should simply change the order in which you drink your morning beverages.

That’s why the author recommends that you start your day by drinking a full glass of water before you ever reach for your coffee. But don’t just grab any old glass of water! Marcus advocates drinking water that’s nice and cold, and infused with lemon juice and salt. Those tasty additions to your drink will help your body restore its depleted supply of helpful chemicals and enzymes like zinc, potassium, and more. It will also counteract the dehydration your body is experiencing and help you feel more awake, alert, and refreshed. And, let’s be honest, as far as lifestyle changes go, it’s a pretty simple step to take. So, don’t worry about giving up your morning coffee; just drink a glass of water first. And with that one simple step, you’ll be well on your way to conquering your day!

I’m a diabetic. Which isn’t great, considering that I have an affinity for sugary cocktails and three table-spoons of sugar in my morning coffee. (If you’re wondering, yes, I’ve had to give up that habit). For me, overdosing on sugar means that I’m prone to suffering a severe hypoglycemic episode in which my blood sugar drops and I will grow weak, delirious, cold, and shaky. And as you can imagine, that’s not an awesome way to start your day. So, although I have to be more careful than most people, non-diabetic folks aren’t off the hook either! And unfortunately, far too many people start their days by flipping the bird to their blood sugar. This can occur whether you realize it or not, but most of us simply aren’t aware of what we’re doing! That’s because most of us kick off the morning with a horrifying helping of sugary, sweet breakfast foods.

Pancakes, cinnamon rolls, french toast with syrup… they’re all delicious, but they’re also devastating for your blood sugar. And sadly, that’s true even if you’re not diabetic and even if you do the “glass of water first thing in the morning” trick. That’s because tanking your blood sugar will override any other positive steps you took for starting your day. Here’s how it works: when your blood sugar starts dropping, your body freaks out and releases a hormone called insulin to try and keep everything stable. But sometimes, it releases too much or not enough, and our bodies get trapped in a downward spiral that makes us feel weak and grouchy. While suffering from low blood sugar, we might be unable to think clearly. We might grow unusually irritable. We may even feel less compassion towards our fellow human beings or make unkind choices that would never occur to us if we felt more like ourselves.

So, what can you do to counteract these ill effects? Well, unfortunately, if you want to be your best self, you definitely have out to cut out the morning carbs and sugars. You can try replacing them with menu items that are high in protein, like scrambled eggs, fresh grapefruit, or some yogurt with a fruit topping. In fact, in a pinch, even a breakfast biscuit from McDonald’s will be better than a helping of pancakes slathered in syrup! It may not be the yummiest way to start your day, but there’s no question that these options are the healthiest.

You might also want to catch up on your vitamin intake. Through his years of experience with personal training and life coaching, the author has observed that most people are too busy to provide themselves with the nutrients they need to reach peak performance. So, to counteract that deficiency, the author recommends finding a good multivitamin that works for you. And it’s especially important to make sure that you find a combination which contains a good Vitamin D supplement. Vitamin D is a natural vitamin produced by our bodies, but it’s only activated when we spend time in the sun. Our neanderthal ancestors probably didn’t experience a Vitamin D deficiency becausethey lived nomadic and primarily outdoor lifestyles. But because most of us can go weeks without spending more than two minutes in the sunshine, the majority of the modern population is suffering from a lack of Vitamin D. So, if you need a little help in the vitamin department, make sure you find a good multivitamin that boosts your intake of Vitamin D. You may have to give up a few tasty treats to follow this healthy pattern, but given the long-term effect they’ll have on your day, the author posits that it sounds like a pretty great trade-off!

That probably sounds like the tagline for every guy alive, right? Pretty much every man in the world would agree that they wish they had more sex. But did you know that satisfying sex actually has a number of benefits for your mental and physical health? That’s right — believe it or not, sex can actually help you stay healthy! When you have an active sex life, you’re literally boosting your heart health, prostate health, mental health, raising your tolerance for pain, and fighting off the aging process! Surprisingly, we could actually list a few more benefits, but you get the picture already: sex makes you healthier!

So, how can you add more sex to your life? First, of course, you need a willing partner, but the author jokingly observes that he can’t help you with that part. However, he can help you work on yourself and help you to develop healthy practices that will lead to you having more healthy sex. So, if you’re already in a relationship, you know that getting both partners in the mood is key. And there are a few things you can do to boost both your health and the mood for your partner. For starters, you can work on your testosterone. Testosterone is, of course, the key hormone that sparks your sex drive. It’s present in both male and female people, although people with male bodies typically have higher levels of testosterone. As a result, people who identify as male usually have higher sex drives as a baseline.

Unfortunately, however, a variety of natural factors can lead to a decrease in testosterone. This in turn decreases your sex life and your ability to perform. Age is one of those factors, as is deteriorating mental health, stress, and the detrimental effect of our diets. So, how can we combat the effects of these natural processes? You might be surprised to learn that food is the answer! By adding certain foods to your diet, you can actually boost your testosterone levels. Foods that are high in saturated fats are the answer, but don’t let that fool you into thinking all fats are created equal! Fatty foods like french fries, fried chicken, doughnuts, cookies, or pizzas are high in trans fat. Foods that are heavy with trans fat actually detract from your overall health and testosterone levels, so don’t make a bee-line for these!

Instead, seek out foods that are high in saturated fat — like wild-caught salmon, grass-fed butter, and nuts — and incorporate these into your diet on a moral regular basis. However, as you alter your diet, be cautious and remember that all fat is at least a little bit bad for you. While it’s true that we do need some types of fat — and that the foods we’ve mentioned can help with testosterone levels and sexual performance — they shouldn’t be the biggest portion of your diet. Saturated fat is known in the health community as “good fat,” but even too much saturated fat can raise your cholesterol and decrease your heart health. That’s why most nutritionists and dieticians advise that you try to limit your saturated fat intake to 10% of your diet. So, as you try to incorporate more saturated fat into your diet, remember this rule of thumb from dieticians: don’t go no fat, go good fat. (But still remember to limit the good fat!)

You can also boost your sexual health by exercising more. The author observes that exercise will not only make you healthier, it may also help you to attract prospective sexual partners. Because while it’s true that we often find healthy people more physically attractive, our evolutionary instincts often play a role in our assessment of potential mates. That’s because we’re literally hard-wired to seek out people and circumstances that will increase our chances of survival. As a result, we prefer to “mate” with partners who appear to be healthy and likely to survive as well. So, when you exercise, you’re not just boosting your physical health or even your sexual health; you’re literally making yourself more attractive!

And last but not least, it’s important to remember that sex is a natural and fun part of being human. Although many people — especially women — are often told that sex is shameful or immoral, the author acknowledges that nothing could be further from the truth. Sex is fun and it’s okay to want a lot of it! So, don’t be afraid to take positive steps that will bring more sex your way! And as an added bonus, if you practice the strategies we discussed in the earlier chapters, you’ll feel a lot less tired at the end of your day and therefore more excited about your sex life!

Everybody wants to feel like they’re winning at life, but in reality, few of us really do. The author seeks to help readers overcome that by providing some top tips for taking control and reminding yourself that you own the day. So, if you want to get your day off to a good start, try cutting out sugary foods, watching out for your blood sugar, and drinking a glass of water with salt and lemon before you have your morning coffee. You can also incorporate saturated fats into your diet to boost your testosterone levels and exercise more to improve your sex life. When practiced together, these strategies will help you feel more in control of your life.