Chapter 9
Know Before You Glow
How to Prepare for Glow15
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
— Benjamin Franklin
At this point, I’ve laid out the foundation of Glow15, and if I’ve done my part correctly, you should have a basic understanding and be excited about autophagy and how to make it work for you. Hopefully, you’ve also been able to follow my plan of what to do, when to do it, and why it’s important. Now, before you begin to elevate your life, I want you to be prepared for success. To properly prepare, you need to do so mentally and technically.
Mental prep is most important. This is where you need to be bold. You need to think of yourself as a priority. You need to believe (or at least pretend until you believe) that you deserve it. Glow15 can give you the tools to look younger and feel better, but only you can give yourself permission to use them. Before you do any other preparation for this plan, tell yourself that you are entitled to do this. Give yourself consent to succeed. Now, what does success look like for you? Write it down. Yes, I’m serious. I read a startling statistic that 95 percent of people who don’t have written goals fail, and the 5 percent who do have written goals succeed. So write it down. And start looking forward to seeing your own success.
Technical prep is what gives you the readiness to achieve your goals. These are the tools that ensure you don’t just survive, but thrive. Whether you want to look younger, feel better, lose weight, gain energy—however you want to boost your life, I want to help you succeed. And here I’ve outlined (1) the guidelines, (2) the checklist, and (3) the metrics to help you technically prepare to get glowing.
The 15 Guidelines to Get Glowing
These are the major tenets of Glow15, all in one place and simplified.
1. Practice IFPC. Glow15 cycles you through High and Low days. You’ll practice intermittent fasting (periods of unrestricted and restricted eating) along with protein cycling (periods of normal/high protein consumption and low protein consumption).
2. Fat first, carbs last. You’ll start every day with fat—eating an AvocaGlow or Egg15—to promote autophagy. Eating fat as your first meal can regulate your metabolism and keep you satiated throughout the day. You’ll save your carbs for your last meals. This will help your body process fat as fuel throughout the day.
3. Drink AutophaTea. My ultimate youth boost. This tea, made of autophagy-activating ingredients, including whole citrus bergamot Earl Grey tea, green tea, cinnamon, and coconut oil, can be enjoyed on both High and Low days. (You’ll find the recipe AutophaTea.)
4. Eat autophagy-activating foods. Include a variety of nutrients—polyphenols, sphingolipids, omega-3s, sulforaphanes, vitamins C, D, E, and K, spermidine, saponins, and probiotics—to help your cells clean up and repair themselves.
5. Protect and repair with Powerphenols. This is your nutritional insurance policy. The highly potent actives in these nutritional supplements not only help defend your cells from disease, but also work to mend existing damage.
6. Try the fab four. Resveratrol, curcumin, EGCG, and berberine are the nutritional supplements that best activate autophagy and promote youthful cells. Use them with your diet and rejuvenate your body.
7. Exercise on High days for 30 minutes. This means you’ll work out four times per week for a minimum weekly total of 120 minutes.
8. Do HIIT and RET workouts. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and resistance exercise training (RET) are the two best workouts for activating autophagy. You will do each twice a week.
9. Run on empty, pregame with caffeine, refuel with protein. Don’t exercise on a full stomach, but drink some caffeine before your workout. Afterward, eat some protein.
10. Keep it hot and keep it going. Heat can turn up the spark on your autophagy. And research has shown that you can lose that spark if you stop working out for more than two weeks, so move it to keep it!
11. Tailor sleep to your bird type. Are you a Lark, a Hummingbird, or an Owl? Knowing your bird type can help you get a better night’s rest. Take the Morningness Eveningness Questionnaire to determine your bird type.
12. Customi-Zzz. Once you determine your bird type, find out the best way to get some rest. Discover how to let in light, set your bedtime, and whether you should supplement your sleep with melatonin.
13. Power down, cool down, null the noise. For all birds who want to get better sleep and wake up energized and refreshed, practice good sleep hygiene. Before bed, turn off electronics, set your thermostat to cool, and play colored sound (see Null the Noise).
14. Targeted topicals. Try ceramides, polyphenols, trehalose, and caffeine on your skin to help make it glow.
15. Treat yourself! From DIY beauty treatments to spa therapy, wine to chocolate, remember that Glow15 is about making yourself a priority. Be bold enough to put yourself first.
The Checklist to Get Glowing
I love a list! I make lists for everything, from my daily to-do list to travel and packing lists to my children’s needs-and-wants list to gift lists and thank-you lists—you name it, I’ve got it on a list!
And I’ve made a list for you, too. It includes all the essential needs for Glow15. First, use this comprehensive checklist to mark off what you already have in your pantry, fridge, medicine cabinet, beauty drawers, and elsewhere in your home. If you’re missing an item, grab it from your local supermarket, neighborhood superstore, or online.
Here are some shopping guidelines—read these over before you head to the store with your list.
Glow15
- Whenever possible, opt for organic produce—you’ll be avoiding unnecessary chemicals in addition to getting the most nutrients possible.
- Frozen organic fruits and vegetables are a lot more affordable and just as nutritious! They’re a great substitution for any fruit or cooked vegetable in a smoothie.
- Whenever possible, opt for grass-fed beef; organic, free-range poultry; pasture-raised pork; and wild-caught, sustainable fish. Not only does this support the environment, it also gives you a better nutrition profile that can help with autophagy activation.
- Whenever possible, opt for grass-fed, organic dairy products like butter, yogurt, and ghee (clarified butter). Again, this provides more nutrients and saves you from unnecessary added hormones, antibiotics, and synthetic toxic input.
- Choose Celtic sea salt or pink Himalayan salt for the added minerals they provide.
- As much as you can, buy fresh food over canned. The few exceptions to this are canned tomatoes, canned beans, and canned salmon (look for a wild-caught, sustainable brand). The cans should be BPA-free, if possible.
- Opt for cold-pressed (or expeller-pressed, if you can’t find cold-pressed), unrefined oils when you can.
Pantry
□ Almond flour
□ Apple cider vinegar, raw
□ AutophaTea (ready-made)
□ Beef stock/broth
□ Black beans
□ Black olives, pitted
□ Canned tomatoes (with skins, crushed)
□ Capers
□ Chia seeds
□ Chickpeas
□ Coconut oil
□ Coffee, ground
□ Dark chocolate (80% cacao)
□ Dark sesame oil
□ Dijon mustard
□ Dulse flakes
□ Extra-virgin olive oil
□ Green olives
□ Green tea
□ Lentil pasta
□ Macadamia nuts
□ Maple syrup, pure
□ Mayonnaise, avocado-based
□ Mirin
□ Miso paste
□ Nut butter, peanut or almond, unsweetened
□ Quinoa
□ Raw honey
□ Rice (brown or black)
□ Rice cakes, whole-grain
□ Salsa
□ Semisweet chocolate chips
□ Sesame seeds
□ Sherry vinegar
□ Sun-dried tomatoes
□ Sunflower seeds
□ Tahini
□ Tamari, gluten-free, or coconut aminos
□ Tea seed oil
□ Unsweetened coconut
□ Vegetable stock/broth (look for a brand without “yeast extract” in the ingredients)
□ Walnuts
□ Whole citrus bergamot Earl Grey tea
□ Wheat germ
□ Wooden skewers
Herbs/Spices
□ Basil, fresh and dried
□ Bay leaf
□ Black pepper
□ Cayenne pepper
□ Ceylon cinnamon, ground and sticks
□ Chives, fresh
□ Cilantro, fresh
□ Cumin, ground
□ Curry powder
□ Dill, fresh and dried
□ Garlic, fresh and powder
□ Ginger, fresh and ground
□ Mint, fresh
□ Oregano, fresh and dried
□ Parsley, fresh
□ Red pepper flakes
□ Rosemary, fresh
□ Sea salt
□ Thyme, fresh and dried
□ Turmeric, ground
Proteins
□ Bacon (nitrate-free)
□ Beef, boneless chuck steak
□ Beef, ground
□ Chicken thighs
□ Eggs, large
□ Ham, sliced
□ Pork loin roast
□ Sausage
□ Salmon or lox, cold-smoked
□ Salmon, wild, fillet and canned
□ Shrimp
□ Turkey, ground and sliced
Fruit
□ Apples
□ Avocados
□ Berries (blackberries, blueberries, strawberries)
□ Grapefruit
□ Lemons
□ Limes
□ Tomatoes and cherry tomatoes
Vegetables
□ Asparagus
□ Artichoke hearts
□ Arugula
□ Bell peppers
□ Broccoli
□ Broccoli sprouts
□ Brussels sprouts
□ Cabbage, red
□ Carrots
□ Cauliflower
□ Celery
□ Cucumbers
□ Jalapeños
□ Kale
□ Kimchi
□ Lettuce, romaine, butter, spring mix
□ Mushrooms, fresh, shiitake, portobello, and cremini
□ Onions
□ Sauerkraut
□ Scallions
□ Spaghetti squash
□ Spinach
□ Sweet potatoes
□ Swiss chard
□ Zucchini
Dairy/Dairy Alternatives
□ Almond milk, unsweetened
□ Butter or ghee (clarified butter)
□ Cheddar cheese
□ Coconut milk, full-fat
□ Feta cheese, full-fat
□ Goat cheese, full-fat
□ Greek yogurt
□ Mozzarella cheese, full-fat
□ Pecorino Romano cheese
Alcohol
□Wine
□ Beer
Powerphenols
□ Resveratrol-trans (250-mg capsules)
□ Organic curcumin (500-mg capsules)
□ Berberine (500-mg capsules)
□ EGCG (300-mg capsules)
Beauty Tools
□ Epsom salts
□ Dry brush
The Metrics to Get Glowing
While success should really be measured in the way you feel, your self-esteem and your confidence, one of the most motivating ways to reach your goals is to have a written account of your journey. For many of you, this may mean keeping a diary of your experience. But I need to see the numbers, and I think that you will want to see yours. While you can expect changes to both how you look and how you feel in just fifteen days, Glow15 is not a temporary plan. Glow15 is a permanent lifestyle, and you should expect to notice even more differences during the next fifteen days, and more on the days after that, and the ones following those and so on.
Below, you will find the metrics to measure your success along the way. I’ve described how to calculate each and provided a worksheet to take you through measuring your success on your first year of Glow15.
Goal: The first and most important metric is setting a goal. If you read the beginning of this chapter, you should already have this written down. Now put it at the top of your worksheet. Again, I want you to achieve success—and all successful endeavors start with goal setting.
Weight: Write down your current weight. If you have a home scale, weigh yourself on it, or use a scale at the gym or your doctor’s office. Weight is not always a precise form of measurement because it fluctuates and doesn’t reflect the ratio of lean mass to fat mass in your body, but it is still a good baseline. After fifteen days on Glow15, weigh yourself again. It’s best to do it first thing in the morning before you eat, but just make sure you weigh yourself at the same time. I personally really like to use a digital scale like the Nokia Body (or Body+) scale. It’s expensive, but it offers a full-body composition breakdown, which can give you a more detailed assessment of your changes.
A note about weight: You will likely gain lean muscle on Glow15. Lean muscle actually helps speed up your metabolism, but that muscle has mass that can show on the numbers on your scale. I want you to keep this in mind so you don’t let the scale define you. Yes, some women on Glow15 lost over seven pounds in the first fifteen days, but others lost inches and dropped a dress size while never seeing a big change in their weight.
Body Mass Index (BMI): This is the ratio of your height to your weight; you can find many online BMI calculators. A BMI of 25 or over is considered overweight. Doctors often use BMI as a marker for health, because this measurement takes into consideration not just your weight in absolute terms, but in proportion to how tall you are. This is also not a perfect measure, because it doesn’t take into account lean muscle mass, but it can give you some clues about changes in your body over time. With each pound of weight you drop, your BMI will change.
Waist Size: Measure your waist right at the belly button. You can also take measurements of whatever else you like—your thighs or arms, for instance. Just measure the same place and the same way each time. It’s very likely you will see changes in your shape before you drop any weight. That’s an indication that your lean muscle versus fat mass is changing.
Clothing Size: Write down your current clothing size. If you’re anything like me, there are a variety of different sizes hanging in your closet. You may have your “skinny-day” jeans, your “fat-day” jeans, your “everyday” jeans and your “never but can’t get rid of them” jeans. After your first fifteen days on Glow15, check your size again—either from your own closet or on a shopping excursion (I won’t tell you to buy, but you can still try). Allow yourself to notice any differences. Does the same size fit differently? Have you changed sizes? Has your body composition changed, making the clothes look different on your body? Some of this may be subjective, but it’s one of my favorite ways to measure progress.
Glow15 Success Story
Sarah “I like myself more now, and I’m more hopeful than I’ve ever been about love”
“I’ve always been a little heavier than I should be—plus, I’m over 30 and a single mom—that in itself makes dating a struggle. Then, I’d compare myself to all the younger, thinner, fitter women and I felt like I didn’t measure up. So I gave up. I gave up the singles scene, I gave up on the online matchmaking sites, I gave up flirting, and I gave up trying to date. I was about to give up on myself when I was convinced to try Glow15.
“I really appreciated how the plan was laid out—I not only found what to eat, but when to eat. Same thing with exercise—it outlined not only what to do, but when to do it, and why. I understood and appreciated the principles behind the plan. And I liked how I could easily make it work with my busy life. And for the first time in a long time, I liked my measurements. I didn’t even lose a lot of weight, but I did lose inches: 3 inches off my thighs, 4 inches in my shoulders, and more all over—my chest, my waist, my hips. Glow15 gave me a confidence I didn’t think was possible, let alone in only 15 days. I like myself more now, and I’m more hopeful than I’ve ever been about love.”
Blood Pressure: If you have your own blood pressure cuff, take your pressure first thing in the morning before eating or drinking. If you don’t have one, most pharmacies and grocery stores offer free blood pressure screenings. Don’t take your blood pressure after having caffeine or exercising, as both of these can cause a temporary rise. This is one of the best ways to gauge improvement in your health, because the higher your blood pressure, the more strain on your circulatory system. Normal blood pressure is considered 120/80 or lower.
Resting Heart Rate: To determine your resting heart rate, the American Heart Association suggests you find your pulse on your wrist, count the number of beats for 10 seconds, and then multiply that by six. In general, the lower, the better. That’s a sign that your heart has to do less work—and that’s a good thing. Take it when you first wake up, while you are still lying in bed.
Track Your Glow
Use the worksheet At-Home Self-Tests to chart your own progress and see the amazing results. Of course, you can include more benchmark periods if you like, such as at the start of every month.
Optional: Blood Test
If you haven’t had your blood checked, it’s a good idea to get some baseline numbers, such as those in the chart that follows. Check with your doctor, as he or she may want you to fast prior to having your blood drawn. Your doctor will report whether your numbers are normal, high, or low in each area. You certainly won’t be able to get blood tests every week or month, so ask your doctor if you can have one at the six-month mark.
The combination of mental and technical preparation is key to your success on Glow15 because it encourages you to think about your actions. Thinking through what you will do and when you will do it is important to understanding what it will mean for you to accomplish your goals.
Proper prior planning enables you to identify potential obstacles. What parts of the plan are going to be more difficult for you? Identifying the potential obstacles now—which is only possible through preparation and planning—gives you every advantage for conquering hurdles later. And the opposite is true as well. Planning enables you to identify your strengths and potential opportunities to increase your likelihood of success.