Siim Land

I love the slogan and it's quite true. Nearly 80% of all back pain, buckling knees, crooked spines, and tendonitis' are caused by too much sitting. At least it makes it's not helping in any way. Exercise itself won't compensate for sitting for hours. It can actually make it worse. Imagine what your knees will feel when you go to do heavy back squats after having sat down the entire day - PAIN, I'm telling you! After I started incorporating mobility exercises and movement breaks throughout the day, I've increased my range of motion and flexibility while having prevented all joint pain. I use a standing work-station, which is just amazing. It keeps me mobile and the mind stays alert as well. However, trading sitting for standing is still bad if you continue to be in a single position for a long period of time. You have to stay in motion throughout the day. The best position to be in is the next one. We should all pay more attention to this. I've made an overview video of the exercises we should all do daily to compensate for sitting and standing. It's based on Tim Ferriss' book Tools of Titans. Stay Mobile, Stay Empowered Siim

@Vytas I don't really count the exact macros I eat, but I follow a low carb ketogenic diet. So, maybe about 1g of protein per pound of bodymass, around 50g carbs and close to 200g fat or so. In my own experience, eating too much food can slow me down. Digestion is a parasympathetic activity, which ought to make you drowsy and relaxed. That's why I prefer to eat at night. Fasting on the other hand is sympathetic dominant, which increases adrenaline and makes you more focused. That's perfect for daytime and roaming around. Small snacks can work to push off hunger as well but I don't need them anymore because of keto-adaptation.

@Dan Arnautu @Vytas I eat a protein shake intra-workout before dinner but during dinner I eat plenty of eggs and some meat with other keto foods. This "one meal" actually lasts for several hours so I won't stuff myself full in one go. In my experience, I've actually managed to build about 7kg of lean muscle mass with minimal fat gain. Keto and fasting make your fat burning engine so efficient that you reduce muscle catabolism to a bare zero during the day.

I used to know a girl who spent a year learning Tantra yoga in Thailand and she was quite amazing. It was definitely a distinct experience because it's more than just pure sex - more like a sensual meditation-massage, if that makes sense. If a girl knows stuff like that, it's definitely something guys appreciate. At least I would.

I finish eating about 30 minutes before bed. The reason it works for me is that I eat only dinner and spend the rest of the day fasting. Those nutrients will be used for recovery and anabolism during sleep. If you were to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner then it wouldn't be optimal. It seems counter-intuitive but I've never felt better.

Time is one of our most valuable resources in life – you don’t want to waste it. What’s more, if you know how to manage your time better you would also be able to do more of what you love. The main principle to mastering your time is not doing more stuff but doing it better. Here are the 4 main time-management strategies Principle #1 Prioritize or Be Made Posterior The most fundamental premise of time management is prioritization – focusing on what’s most important. It all comes down to knowing what you want to accomplish and then directing the bulk of your efforts to achieving that. Principle #2 Be Efficiently Effective There’s also a big difference between effectiveness and efficiency. Being effective is about doing the right thing – i.e. your micro-focused actions leading to your macro-purpose. Being efficient is about doing things right. This is pure resource management. You can be very good at putting out fires but it doesn’t mean you’re getting any closer to what you want. The core idea is that you have to focus on doing the right things – the things you want to accomplish – as well as possible as to save time and energy. Principle #3 The Principle of Least Effort What this premise entails is doing the least amount of things for the highest yield of return. The trick to being more productive is to learn how to get more done in less time, without sacrificing quality. The most important questions you have to ask in here are: What is the ONE activity that would make everything else a lot easier or insignificant? How much time would I save if I did X and where could I put it to greater use? Which of these activities grants me the highest rate of return? But is the effort required to achieve those results worth it? How can I reduce the amount of energy I exert while still maintaining the same amount of quality? Do I have to optimize my work process or improve my skills? Principle #4 Addition Through Subtraction The principle of deduction entails you approaching your activities VIA NEGATIVA. It’s the art of addition by subtraction in which you’re supposed to first remove the downside before attempting to increase anything. In the context of time management, you would want to via negativa your activities like in the example of the Principle of Least Effort. Don’t pick up the newest and coolest productivity tricks and tools if you still have loopholes in the fundamentals i.e. the principles mentioned in here. Check out the video for more details Thanks! Stay Empowered

@ElenaO I eat mostly cabbage in a different form - raw, cooked and sauerkraut, and I feel great. Bloating has to do mostly with gut health not the food. Lettuce is also the top pesticide laden vegetables whereas cabbage, broccoli, and onions aren't. Funny, but that's how it is. For vegetarians, I would eat a lot of carrots, turnips, beetroot and white rice. An occasional sweet potato is also great. As far as healthy fats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and coconut flakes are probably the cheapest, while still providing as much nutrition as the more expensive nuts, like almonds or pistachios.

Eating healthy can be dirt cheap. And you won't become micronutrient deficient either if you use some supplements. The greatest fallacy surrounding healthy food is that some of the "healthier" products are better than others all because of the mainstream fitness narrative. An example: chicken breast is the most expensive part of the chicken but the least nutritious. Just because fitness gurus tell you to eat lean meats. I also cringe whenever I see people buying iceberg lettuce or other fresh salads. Yet again, virtually zero nutritional value in comparison to the price. Green leafy vegetables, the cheapest of which is ordinary green cabbage, will give you more micros, fibre, a whole lot of volume, and antioxidants. You don't need to buy organic fruit either because the nutritional value isn't very significant either. Fructose can only be metabolized by the liver and will only be used to balance your blood sugar levels, which can be done with other foods as well. Increase your body's endogenous fat oxidation and you'll avoid low blood sugar responses completely. The most expensive macronutrient is protein. Eggs are the cheapest sources of protein but they are also the richest ones. They cover the entire amino acid profile and have other healthy nutrients. So, you can get away with eating mostly eggs, add in some cheaper meats that are considered unhealhty, such as chicken thighs, and you'll be well off. As far as fat goes then you can get large tanks of olive oil in a dark container. I remember getting one of those when I was in the UK. Lasted me for months. Nuts can be expensive and you don't need them for the micros. Cheese isn't needed for nutrition either but can be a good addition for taste. When I was in the UK, I lived off about 5 pounds a day and I did just fine. These are just some of my cheap healthy food hacks. I might have more of them but I'll come back to you some day. Thanks Stay Empowered Siim

For those of you who don't know. Antifragile is the term coined by Nassim Nicholaus Taleb in his bestselling book by the same name. Basically, it's the opposite to fragile, which breaks under stress. The resilient simply endures and is robust. The antifragile is beyond resilience and actually benefits from chaos, uncertainty and disorder. His previous book the Black Swan, he sets the background for Antifragile. A Black Swan is an unexpected, extreme event with a huge impact and is often rationalized after the fact with hindsight. Examples: World War I, 9/11, the mortgage crisis of 2008. The idea behind being antifragile isn’t about merely expecting sh*t to happen and then accepting it as it is. Instead, it’s about not only surviving but also thriving in the adversity – survthriving. Taleb uses the illustration of the Hydra to describe an antifragile object. You cut off its head and 2 new ones grow back. Strategies for the antifragile body Resistance training - Lifting weights and doing heavy resistance training in any shape or form requires you to contract your muscle fibers at an immense rate. As a result, the body recognizes the necessity of increasing their size and efficiency, thus you get stronger and increase your bone density as well. The key notion lies in doing it HEAVY. A 400 pound deadlift is a much greater stimulus than lifting a pillow millions of times. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) – By the same token, doing HIIT causes similar adaptations as resistance training. You’ll hit your cardiovascular system with a sledgehammer and thus create a much greater response than doing slow jogging for hours upon end. Intermittent fasting – The eating patterns of our ancestors were Black Swan events – feasts and famine. Absence of food is actually very beneficial for us. The body perceives that small stress response as a signal to maximize nutrient partitioning and speed up protein synthesis. You trigger immense growth and augmenting processes that clear your system and make you sharper. By the same token, if coupled with feasting, it can yield extremely anabolic effects. Cold/Heat exposure – Temperature is an external stimulus that causes us to regulate our core temperature. In the modern world we’re experiencing less fluctuations in this regard. We have central heating and can wear fluffy clothes to keep ourselves warm. Fermented foods – Eating food with live bacteria in them is incredibly good for the gut. This keeps the microbiome healthy and supports the immune system as well as your cognitive functioning. Eat sauerkraut, kimchi, raw unpasteurized milk, kefir, yogurt, pickles etc. Strategies for the antifragile mind Stoicism – An ancient school of philosophy, which basically teaches the person to be less dependent of external material objects, such as wealth, family and people. Instead, one should seek happiness in virtue and in oneself. Any negative event that happens to you is an opportunity to practice some type of virtuous behavior e. forgiveness, antifragility, adaptability, concentration etc. Practice via negativa – It’s the act of first removing the downside before you add more things to your life to make it better. You substract afflictive habits, activities, objects and people who make you weaker. Stop eating unhealthy food before you start taking supplements. Seek out novelty – Deliberately make yourself face new and uncertain situations. This forces you to adapt to the stress and conditions you to handling random events. Whatever happens to you, you’ll be able to benefit from it because of having the reference experience of over-arching adeptness. The Barbell Strategy – Taleb describe this method as a “dual attitude of playing it safe in some areas and taking a lot of small risks in others, hence achieving antifragility.” Small risks expose you to the potential gain you get from adversity, whereas playing it safe prevents you from completely being wiped out. For instance, keep your day job, but at night also take massive action on your side hustle. Slowly progress towards becoming completely independent. Get comfortable being uncomfortable – Getting too comfortable is the worst thing you could do to your antifragility. Constantly being on the positive side of life will condition you to become lazy and slow. You’ll “lose your gains” without constantly facing stimulus that forces you to adapt. The Hydra won’t grow a new head unless one of them gets cut off. You have to cultivate the skill of moving inside the eye of the storm and dwell in it. Once you get used to being uncomfortable, you could walk through hell and back without giving a damn. Examples: cold showers, walk in the rain, talk to strangers, do public speaking, do the things you’re afraid of. Maintain your mobility – Don’t grow too large and accumulate a lot of baggage, thus become fragile, if you know what I mean. Maintain your flexibility in everything you do. Don’t become too rigid with your activities. Always have a back-up plan and add redundancies e. 2 lungs, a savings account etc. Definitely don’t sell your second kidney. Also, don’t get too attached to anything in life, whether that be people, locations or events. Be willing to embrace Black Swan events at an instance. When it’s go time, you’ll know it and are ready. What separates us from the mythical Hydra is that we can choose to be antifragile. It was the nature of the serpent to have a self-growing physiology. We as humans have something similar but we also possess higher levels of consciousness. We’re meta-aware about Black Swans and antifragility, thus we can deliberately create environments of controlled randomness. I'm 100% sure you understand the benefits and importance of practicing antifragility in everything you do. Here's to becoming beyond resilience. You can read my blog post about this, in which I talk about some more examples about being antifragile and using Black Swan events to your advantage. Thanks

The 4 essential conditions for building muscle are: Train hard and heavy enough Trigger protein synthesis Be in a caloric surplus Adequate hormonal output (Human Growth Hormone and Testosterone) By following these principles, I've built pure lean muscle even on a ketogenic diet. You being on a vegetarian/vegan diet, you would want to eat plant-based foods with enough protein. The myth around needing massive amounts of protein is a fallacy because most people don't eat that much anyway nor need to. Around 1g/lb of lean body mass is a great estimate to aim for. As far as the sources go, you would still need the full range of amino acids. You might want to consider getting some branched chain amino acids but they aren't essential. Eat vegetables, nuts, seeds and starch for glucose. Fructose has no seeming effect on building muscle because it can be only metabolized by the liver and ineffective for replenishing muscle glycogen. Hope this answers some of your questions. Stay Empowered Siim

@Annie I take algae supplements. Spirulina and brown sea weed.

All great people have a One Word that will describe and define them. For Steve Jobs it was ‘Impact,’ for Martin Luther King ‘Equality,’ and for Muhammed Ali ‘Greatest.' What would be Your One Word – a single word that would sum up everything that is you? What is most characteristic to YOU? What do you stand for? What is your purpose? Your mantra of excellence? Evan Carmichael's book called Your One Word will help you to find the answer to that. Evan's One Word is #Believe, Mine is Empowered. What about you? Thanks, Stay Empowered! Siim

Here are some of the best "superfoods" on the planet that aren't just healthy but full of micronutrients and push it over the top. Blueberries. Why? They’re full of phytonutrients and antioxidants, protecting against cancer and neurodegenerative disease. Cacao. Not hot chocolate, but raw cacao nibs. Raw cacao contains 20 times more antioxidants than blueberries and 119 times more than bananas. Chia seeds. Eaten by ancient Aztec warriors. These seeds are rich in fiber, omega-3s, protein, vitamins and minerals, such as copper, zinc and potassium. Algae. It’s a complex superfood that can be found in green, blue-green or brown seaweed. The health benefits are quite amazing: stronger immune system increased white blood cell count and better gut flora. Bee pollen. Made by honeybees, it is one of the most nourishing foods Mother Nature can provide us with, as it contains almost all of the essential nutrients needed by humans. It’s rich in amino acids, vitamins, including B-complex, and folic acid. Bee pollen is richer in protein than any animal source and half of it is directly used by the body. One teaspoon consists of over 2,5 billion (that’s 9 zeros) flower pollen grains. Talk about micronutrient density. MCT oil. Stands for medium-chained triglycerides that are shortened fatty acid chains that can be directly metabolized into energy by the brain and body. They're liquidized and made from coconut oil. The caloric content is highest possible - 900 kcal/100g. Instant power and ketosis. These are the ones I eat. Thanks!

@Nahm Yes, I get it. It's a continuous process of self-discovery. You are finding new aspects of who you think you were and then transcending it. Like on the hero's journey - you die in the end and then get reborn into a new version of yourself. @I_Like_Thing Do you think it might make you pick up a certain 'numinous' ego or self-image?

You've probably heard about the many ways to improve cognition: read books, meditate, exercise and do some crazy brain games. But have you heard about these unconventional strategies? TLDW #1 Neuroplasticity - 00:45 - Expose yourself to novelty #2 Get Distracted - 01:32 - Studies show some background noise can actually boost productivity #3 Practice Multi-Tasking - 02:56 - Multi-tasking isn't productive, but it can teach your brain to stay focused while being distracted. #4 Power Training - 03:49 - Explosive plyometric or high intensity interval training will increase the speed of your nervous system #5 Creative Visualization - 04:55 - Envisioned mental images in our head are directly connected with the ones in the outside world. Visualize the skills you want to improve. #6 Empathy - 05:40 - Empathy stimulates the prefrontal cortex and boosts emotional intelligence. #7 Inversion - 06:16 - Sending more blood flow to the brain is good for the functioning and health of the brain. Do handstands or hang upside down. What do you do to improve your cognition? Thanks!

@Nahm Is it a means to an end or an end of itself? @jjer94 Shit, thought it was taken. @aurum That's like Kaizen @Loreena Something we should all strive towards @The Universe How has it turned out so far for you?

Although it will be a good kick, I think that it would be too over-stimulating as well. I mean, cold showers will trigger a stress response, caffeine increases adrenalin and you pumping yourself up also taxes the adrenals. The idea behind taking cold showers is to condition yourself to be able to control your fight or flight response and to be uninfluenced by the shock. Doing it like some sort of a means of self-qualification would rob the whole idea from it. But, you do you. That's just my 2 cents.

It's been 3 years since these events and in the mean time I've refined these ideas even further. I made a video about it as well. Thanks! Stay Empowered! Siim

Exactly 2 years ago I was going through my national service in the military. During that time I was allocated to a 1 month long sharpshooter course. It was winter and we got our training close to -30 degrees Celsius. I posted this on reddit about 5 months ago and it was widely popular. Figured self-actualizers would appreciate this even more. The story itself is quite long and very interesting and in retrospect it was very enlightening. I got a lot of life lessons and taught me to be more stoic. To read all of the details read this blog post. Here are a few key points to take away from this experience which are most important. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Whether lying in the dirt, monitoring the landscape while being buried in snow or doing anything that we don’t want to – it doesn’t matter. This will determine the way we handle anything that life throws at us. This way we’re preparing ourselves for situations that are not perfect and won’t be perished by the difficulties. Adversity is to be expected and welcomed. Challenges are inevitable part of life. Moreover, they make us who we are. There is a difference in yielding to obstacles and overcoming them. The former implies to coping while the latter is thriving and empowering. It is easier to do it the hard way. As humans we always want to take the path of least resistance. However, this is conditions us in a negative way. Without adversity we would get too soft. In the long run having it tough will make us more able to overcome any obstacle. We’re a lot more durable than we give ourselves credit for. A lot of the time it is our mind that gets in our own way. This applies to physical and mental activities – our maximum is always higher than we think. If we are forced to suffer freezing weather or pain with no way out then the only thing we can do is to simply grind our teeth, adapt and endure. Putting in more effort will yield extraordinary results. After coming to the realization that we’re powerful beyond measure exceeding ourselves becomes easy. It’s important to always give our best. Pushing our boundaries further will make us grow and make us better. Never have I regretted taking the extra step or rep further despite the difficulty. It's the actions we didn't take we'll regret the most. Pain as well as comfort are temporary. Whether we’re experiencing physical hardship or cozyness it doesn’t matter. The workout will reach its end, the weather will get warmer, the feeling of safety and dryness will soon be replaced by freezing conditions – everything will be replaced by its polar opposite one way or the other. By realizing this we will be able to endure for longer as well as appreciate the comfort we’re currently in more. The person beyond our comfort zone is awesome. Continuing on the previous bullet point. If we put in just a little bit of effort and exceed our limitations then we begin to see ourselves differently. We are more capable and confident in our own abilities. Success and self-love becomes a habit. We're all incredibly lucky. If you're reading this, then you probably have no idea how fortunate you really are. My sniper course lasted for a month, yet it felt like an eternity. It wasn't even a real conflict or warzone. It was just training. After graduating, I attained a new perspective on life - to not take anything for granted and to protect my family from the challenges I had to go through. I felt more obliged to start giving back more an to make the world a better place, so that there would be no necessity for warfare. After going through that 1 month of hardship I improved the quality of the rest of my life. It increased my mental toughness to a limit where I felt invincible and independent of external forces. My mind became a citadel and I truly believe that anything else can hardly be called challenging in comparison to what I went through at sniper school. Most importantly, I understood that we should all be striving towards making the world a safer and better place for everyone. Being a soldier isn't the best way of bringing peace. Partly, there I found some purpose of starting my work of empowering myself and others. At least it got amplified even more. Hopefully this will be somewhat motivating and give you a clue about some of the revelations I've had. Thanks! And read the whole story here.

How many of you are doing the Wim Hof method? What are your results and experiences? For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, Wim Hof is a daredevil who does superhuman feats with cold exposure and other seemingly impossible tasks. His breathing exercise triggers the body's survival mechanism whilst maintaining conscious control over the physiology. As a result, he's able to regulate his own nervous system and has taught many others to do the same. I've made a video about explaining it as well. What are your thoughts?

I eat low carb keto and thus my food list isn't that rich. Although the ketogenic diet can be very rich in variety, I still like to follow a minimal effective dose, in regards to the choices I have to make with my purchases. I get my essential micros and macros while avoiding decision fatigue and saving time, money and willpower. Here's my most purchased foods in order of frequency: A ton of eggs - a carton a day on average Green cabbage/Red cabbage Carrots/Beetroot Broccoli/Cauliflower Ginger/Turmeric/Cinnamon (I'm huge on these) Garlic/Onions Sauerkraut Brazil nuts Pumpkin seeds Chicken thighs Pork chops/ribs Avocados - one a day Lemon - one a day Sour cream Butter/Lard Olives/Olive oil Liver/Heart Tomatoes Salmon/Herring/Sardines/Mackerel Coconut oil/MCT oil Coffee - I've been able to go through only one pack over the past 6 months, lol - strategy Green tea That's the gist of it. Super satiating, super nourishing, super energizing. Thanks

@Nahm Yes, he's like Sisyphus but it has served him very well so far. He has also talked about being like this ever since birth and it seems he's enjoying it. I don't want to be 100% like him because I think he is still quite myopic in some aspects of life but his wisdom can be applied to the majority of areas of your life. It's just his Navy SEAL perspective that masks the hidden gems of his wisdom.

Have you heard of Jocko Willink? He's an ex-Navy SEAL commander, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and one of the most intense men on the planet. He's not a brute or a cold-hearted soldier. His podcast - Jocko Podcast - is a medium for philosophical debates about discipline, leadership and the darkness of human nature. He was also guested in Tim Ferriss' book Tools of Titans where he shared his wisdom. Here are my top 10 ideas from him. #1 Discipline Equals Freedom #2 Two is One and One is None - Have a Backup #3 Expose Yourself to the Darkness to See the Light #4 To Be Mentally Tougher, Be Tougher #5 Take Extreme Ownership Over Your Life #6 Wake Up Early To Gain Psychological Victory #7 Always Be Prepared #8 Learn to Detach Yourself From the Situation #9 To Increase Willpower, Stay Strong and Hold Your Discipline #10 When Things Are Going Bad, Say Good and Get Back into the Fight I've also made a video. What do you think? He's not a spiritual guy at all but he still has some great insights. Thanks! Stay Empowered! Siim

@Psychonaut It's actually a lot easier on a vegetarian diet because you can eat a lot of food in terms of volume. Eat veggies to fill yourself up. Add some olive oil to your foods to increase satiety and you should be good. I don't really see an issue here.