Earlier this year..
I spent a weekend off the grid, in a forgotten mountain village in the north of Ecuador.
Life there is very different.
Very basic.
The less than 40 people living there follow a simple daily routine.
Wake early, work the fields all day, come home in the late afternoon, eat, socialize, go to sleep, and repeat the same process the next day.
I truly believe this is the life we are programmed for.
High physical activity. Hard labor.
Spending most waking hours outside.
High-quality sleep. Natural, minimally processed food.
Enough downtime and lots of laughter.
Strong family ties.
One morning I went on a long walk to check out the area and take in the beautiful scenery.
And on our way back to the village, we bumped into Arturo.
Arturo is 91 years old and was returning home from work.
Walking.
He’s still very articulate. No lag time when speaking.
And he still has that ‘sparkle’ in his eye.
When asked why he was walking home instead of hitching a ride he said..
“Tienes que andar. Tienes que sudar. No puedes estar en casa todo el dia.”
“El sudar es bueno.”
You gotta move. You gotta sweat. You can’t be in the house all day.
Sweating is good.
Now, don’t get it twisted..
Arturo and his pals don’t live like monks.
Sure, they follow the optimal human program outlined above, but when nighttime comes..
Boy oh boy.. all bets are off.
You see, what they like to do in this little village after work is play cards and drink..
A lot.
They have this cheap liquor made from sugar cane called ‘puntas’. Very strong stuff. And they drink it like it’s water.
However, come next morning they’re back to working the fields and tending their properties.
In contrast to Arturo, I also met 87-year-old Saul, who spends his days sitting on his porch and smoking cigarettes.
He’s being supported by his children who live in the city, so he doesn’t really have to do anything all day.
And it shows.
He’s very fragile, demented, incapable of holding a conversation or recognizing even his own family members.
A mere shadow of the person he used to be.
He traded the optimal human program for ease and comfort.
And the results are devastating.
This is a phenomenon I got to see around the world, independent of culture, education and social classes.
People without purpose, without a mission, end up weak, sick and becoming a burden to their families.
What are you doing?
Life is meant for living.
For walking, for running, for carrying heavy objects, for breathing fresh air, for eating good food, for resting hard and loving harder.
For thinking, for creating, for doing, for growing, for overcoming, for enjoying.
Life is meant for living.
Live it well.
V
No more games. No more wasted opportunities
It’s time for you to reach your potential.
Enter the M.E.A.N. program and get in world-beater shape without following silly diets or wasting your life in the gym.
Fully independent and totally superior.
I’ll see you on the inside.
V
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