HANDBOOK
SIIM LAND
www.siimland.com
Cover
Disclaimer & Copyright
Upon using the information contained in this book, you agree to hold
harmless the Author from and against any damages, costs, and
expenses, including any legal fees potentially resulting from the
application of any of the information provided by this guide. This
disclaimer applies to any damages or injury caused by the use and
application, whether directly or indirectly, of any advice or
information presented, whether for breach of contract, tort,
negligence, personal injury, criminal intent, or under any other cause
of action.
You agree to accept all risks of using the information presented inside
this book. You need to consult a professional medical practitioner in
order to ensure you are both able and healthy enough to participate in
this program.
http://www.siimland.com.
Hey,
That’s just amazing – an exceptional decision, I must say. It’s the first
step of many you need to take in order to truly work on your potential
and reach greatness.
Truth be told...
Don’t get me wrong, I believe great people can accomplish great things
despite how healthy or disciplined they are.
It’s just that you as a person have a body and a mind – both of which
can be made stronger, more adaptable, and better. That’s what this book
is supposed to do.
The Body Mind Empowerment Handbook is written for people who want
to enhance their personal effectiveness, their health and mental state.
It’s a guidebook for beginner’s but works for everyone with a beginner’s
mind. Whatever your background or current condition, the principles
written here will serve you for a lifetime and you can always default
back to them.
Becoming a self-empowered being both physically and mentally is not
just for selfish purposes – it’ll also help you to be a greater person to
others. Because, let’s be honest, no one likes being around people who
feel like sh#t or have a poor mindset.
The Foundation
Fundamentally, all personal development should begin with the body.
It’s the vessel for our consciousness and the seat of our intelligence.
Where the body leads, the mind will follow. And this works both ways -
your mindset can alter your bodily states as well.
Biohacking
Biohacks are activities and strategies you can use to make yourself into
a high performing individual. They enhance your biological limits and
turn yourself into almost a superhuman. If you’ve drank coffee, taken
fish oil, gone to the sauna or exercised, then you’ve done some
biohacking.
In this first section, we’ll be taking care of your body and health, as to
give you more energy and vitality. It’s important to keep our physiology
functioning at its peak so our mind and consciousness could flourish as
well.
• Your Gut comes first: It’s called the gut-brain axis, where the gut
has a much greater impact on the brain. What we eat gets broken
down into nutrients, digested and released into the blood stream.
From those calories, we can either get energy, vigor and cognitive
acuity or exhaustion, lack of motivation and brain fog. 90% of
serotonin – the relaxation neurotransmitter – gets produced in the
digestive tract. You really feel the way you do based on your gut.
• Fight Inflammation: One of the greatest dangers to the body is
inflammation. The body prioritizes its survival over anything else
– if there’s a fire in your kitchen then you won’t be able to think
about self-actualizing yourself. Therefore, you want to reduce
inflammation as much as possible.
• Control Insulin: When it comes to body composition and health,
then the most important hormone is insulin. It gets released by the
pancreas in response to rising blood sugar levels and tries to bring
it back down to normal. Insulin opens the cell receptors to let all
of that sugar enter the muscles and be stored as glycogen.
However, whenever our muscles are already full, all of the excess
will be directed into the adipose tissue. Whenever insulin is
elevated we’re more prone to storing the food we eat rather than
burning it.
• Eat as much as you need: Our daily caloric demands vary hugely
between individuals. A NAVY SEAL can burn up to 6000 calories a
day, whereas a sedentary office person doesn’t even have to eat
any more than 2000. You have to determine yourself how much
food you need to eat to achieve optimal health and meet your
goals.
Based on those principles, let’s now turn to the guidelines to follow.
• No soy, limit lectins. Soy is also mainly GMO and not very good,
when consumed excessively. It lowers testosterone in men and
promotes estrogen-dominance. Lectins are found in legumes,
nightshade and peanuts. White potatoes as well. They’re toxins
and are stressful on the gut. Although I would advise you to not
eat lectins or beans, you don’t have to avoid them completely but
it’s best to limit their consumption. Sweet potatoes are fine.
What to Eat:
• Dark leafy green vegetables are the best source of fiber. The
antioxidants in broccoli, kale and cauliflower protect against
cancer and promote a healthy gut. Best sources are cabbage,
spinach, sea kelp. Additionally, carrots, turnips and beetroot are
also great.
• Some dairy. Neglect pasteurized dairy products and use raw milk,
kefir and yogurt. Cheese and heavy cream are fine but you should
still limit your overall dairy consumption.
• Good quality fats. The more fat you eat, at the expense of
carbohydrates, the more efficient you become at using fat for fuel.
This will have profound effects on your performance, especially
cognition. Butter, coconut oil, olive oil, MCT oil are all incredibly
nutrient dense. They’re good for our mitochondria and give us an
abundance of energy.
Intermittent Fasting
A healthy nutrition plan should also include some abstention from food.
When in a fasted state the body actually conducts a lot of the necessary
repair mechanisms. It detoxifies the organism by triggering a metabolic
pathway called autophagy, which removes waste material from cells1.
1
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3106288/
In the process, inflammation throughout the body and overall oxidative
stress get reduced2. This fights all illnesses.
2
Alternate day calorie restriction improves clinical findings and reduces markers of oxidative stress and inflammation
man.
• Intermittent fasting has been shown to increase life span in other
mammals.
• It fights tumors and cancerous cells.
• Increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) that protects
against neurodegenerative disease and boosts brain power.
• There’s the 16/8 time frame where you skip breakfast and have it
at noon.
• There’s the 24 hour fast, in which you fast from dinner to dinner.
To be honest, the majority of the benefits will be covered with that short
time period. However, having a 24-hour fast once a week and a 48-hour
one every few months will do your health an extraordinary service.
But still, food is equally as important. What you eat has a direct effect
on your body’s energy levels and your mental state.
You don’t have to eat breakfast – I relieve you from the obligation.
You’re free, but if you do want to eat something, then I’m going to tell
you what you should have to maintain mental clarity and sharpness.
Shopping List
Here are the foods that are good to eat for taking care of your body.
These are the nutrients your diet should consist of 80% of the time.
• Eggs • NO candy/junk/processed
food
• Nuts
• Limit
• Seeds
legumes (including peanut
• Healthy oils (olive, walnut, s)
flaxseed, macadamia,
• Limit dairy
avocado, coconut)
• Limit potatoes
DON’T EAT or LIMIT
One simple axiom that you can keep in mind when every making optimal
food choices is to think whether or not it can be found in nature. Just
eat whole foods that are least processed and you’re setting yourself up
for 80% of the results you’re after with nutrition. There are some
deviations and exceptions to this, such as legumes and potatoes, but you
will already notice a significant change by removing processed food.
OILS/FATS
• Coconut oil
• Olive oil
• Macadamia oil
• Avocado oil
• Grass-fed butter
FRUIT
• Figs • Bananas
US) alcohol
• Isomalt
• Sucaryl • Maltitol
• Sugar
Sweet
• Mannitol • 1′,4,6′-
• Sodium Trichlor
• Sugar
Sacchari ogalacto
alcohol
n sucrose
• Neotame
• Sweet N • Trichlor
• Polydextrose Low osucrose
• Sugar • Sweet
alcohol Twin
• Equal • Natrulos • Xyloswe
Sucralos e et
e
• Xylitol • Anything
• NatraTa that says
• Sugar
ste Gold “artificia
alcohol
l”
• Splenda
• Smart
• Tagatose Sweet
• Xylipure
You’d want to follow these guidelines no matter what diet protocol you
choose because our physiology functions based on the same principles
across individuals.
Fatty acids provide cleaner fuel in the Krebs cycle, as opposed to glucose
that by-produces free radicals and advanced glycation end-products,
which promote inflammation. Inflammation is the biggest enemy for the
mitochondria, every cell within the body, really.
The ketogenic diet isn’t as necessary as the key principles listed in this
handbook. It requires more thorough description, which is why I’ve kept
it for another book. But I also have other keto products to make it easier
for you.
Now, let’s get strong as hell. Build muscle and strength for longevity
and greater mitochondrial density.
Nevertheless…
This will improve your health, cognition, mood, strength and all the
other stuff that enhance your life.
The Exercises.
• Squat. Squats are key to the program. 3x/week. They work your
whole body, not just your legs.
• Bench Press. Works your chest & triceps muscles. The strongest
upper body exercise.
• Overhead Press. Push weight overhead while standing.
• Deadlift. The toughest of all exercise. Works your legs and builds
a strong back by teaching you to keep your spine rigid against a
load.
• Barbell Row. Pulling weight from the floor against your lower
chest. The Barbell Row works your back & biceps.
• Pull-ups & Chin-ups. Pull-ups are done palm facing away, Chin-
ups palm facing you. Both work biceps & back muscles.
• Dips. Last one, Dips work your triceps & chest muscles.
Program Template.
Workout A
• Squat 5x5
• Bench Press 5x5
• Overhead Press 5x5
• Barbell Row 5x5
• Dips 5x5
Workout B
• Squat 5x5
• Overhead Press 5x5
• Deadlift 1x5
• Pull-ups/Chin-ups 3xFailure
Cardiovascular Fitness
On top of that, there’s also the importance of cardiovascular fitness. For
the health of our heart, it’s probably a lot more important. Muscle is
great for longevity and should be the foundation to our training but
incorporating other modalities is also essential.
When it comes to building muscle and strength, then the benefits of HIIT
far outweigh those of low intensity steady state cardio (LISS). Studies
have shown that people who do HIIT have better body composition and
do not suffer from other chronic exercise syndromes.
o 30 seconds of rest
o 30 seconds of burpees
o 30 seconds of rest
o 30 seconds of rest
o 30 seconds of pushups
o 30 seconds of rest
o 30 seconds of sprinting
Before jumping in head first and pushing yourself through the dirt you
have to come to terms with your current state of health and fitness. If
you suffer from any medical condition of poor lung capacity, then it
would not be a good idea to start doing HIIT sessions every day. To not
cause any long term damage to your body you have to start from your
current level and gradually build up from there.
• The campfire squat - Hold it for a few minutes and use your hands
to move your hips around.
• Deep lunge - You can do the Yoga Warrior pose sequence.
• Sun salutation - A very simple and easy way to re-engage your
spine and shoulders. Make sure to incorporate the Downward Dog.
• Handstand/headstand - This is for working against the
gravitational force we’re exposed to 24/7. It’s good for directing
blood flow to your head as well.
• Walk around - Or dance - whatever gets you moving and floats
your boat.
You should also consider swapping out your chair with a standing work
station. This is a huge game changer in terms of productivity and joint
integrity.
Use this template to eat right and feel right, so that you could train hard
and ball hard.
Eat a full day of eating following the foods listed and have a heavy
resistance training workout StrongLifts style.
Let’s continue with the most important part for optimizing your
performance.
Sleep
Sleep is probably the biggest thing that gets neglected when it comes to
enhancing our performance. It’s an essential part of our physiology and
actually improves the quality of our life. Even when it might seem like
we’re doing nothing, our body and brain are conducting numerous
repair mechanisms and adaptations.
The bare minimum would be 7-8 hours. Because we’re training quite
hard, we need even more than that. On harder training days you should
aim for 9-10 hours.
But it isn’t the quantity of your sleep that matters but the quality of it.
Recovery takes place only in the deepest stages which we can enter after
about 90 minutes. Sleeping more won’t increase our performance.
Doing it smarter will. Optimization is crucial if we want to get the most
bang for our buck.
That way we’re ensuring that we’re following the patterns of different
hormones which rise and fall during the day no matter what. For
instance, cortisol is highest during the morning and gradually begins to
drop afterwards. It helps us to wake up properly and start moving.
• Turn off all electronics in your room. Not only are they a
possible source of blue light sneaking in but they also radiate
Electro Magnetic Frequencies (EMF) which not only decrease
testosterone production but also have a negative impact on our
overall health including sleep. Studies in these area are only
beginning to take place and it can’t be said that nobody saw this
coming. We’re already surrounded by radio waves and other
magnetic fields on a daily basis. Wi-fi is included into this. Turn
off your router for the night and keep your phone on airplane
mode most of the time. We want to minimize the presence of EMF
not only in our bedroom but in our entire life. There are some
products online that when attached to your computer can absorb
the radiation. Additionally, some stones, such as quartz, moss
agate, amethyst and obsidian are said to have similar properties.
Personally, I wear a necklace of rock crystal and shungite all the
time. There are other reasons for doing so but they definitely
provide us with some protection from these sources.
• Get grounded. Because we’re constantly surrounded by EMF and
other esoteric radio waves we begin to build up a negative charge.
Our body is like any other conductor that attracts these ions in its
magnetic field. This not only influences our hormonal profile but
also has an effect on our sleep. Luckily, this can be alleviated
thanks to the Earth’s ability to absorb our charge. By walking
barefoot on natural ground we’re “earthing” and resetting our
magnetic field.
Sleep Nutrition
What we eat is also extremely important. Of course, filling up your gut
right before bed will not only keep your digestive track active but will
also keep you awake because of the discomfort.
Stable blood sugar levels are essential for a constant stream, therefore,
high HI carbohydrates are not optimal.
What research has shown is that some protein and fat before bed
decreases the amount of times people wake up a night in comparison to
high carb diet. It also improves body composition and enhances muscle
recovery by providing more assistance to the repair mechanisms.
To make yourself sleep better, have a nice ketogenic dinner with some
good protein and fat, such as butter or coconut oil. However, don’t eat
too much protein, as it can spike your insulin. This will increase blood
glucose and keeps you up at night. Keep it moderate.
The sleep ritual should start at least an hour before bed time. Start
winding down preemptively and incorporate the habitual habits that let
your subconscious mind know it’s that time of the day.
Those who say that sleep is for the weak and wicked don’t know what
they’re talking about. It’s the most important thing for our recovery.
Work hard. Rest harder. Exert yourself like a warrior. Sleep like a baby.
Let’s continue.
Supplements
• Fish/Krill oil. It’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are great for
the brain and heart. The counterpart to that is omega-6, which are
pro-inflammatory and bad for us. Omega-6 can be found in a lot of
processed foods and vegetable oils, which we would want to avoid
anyway. For our body to be healthy the omega-3’s need to be in
balance with the omega-6’s. Unfortunately, that balance can be
easily tipped off as every amount of omega-6 requires triple the
amount of omega-3 to reduce the negative effects. Additionally,
fish oil has DHA, which promotes brain functioning, fights
inflammation, supports bone health, increases physical
performance etc. Naturally, it can be found in fatty fish such as
salmon, herring, mackerel and sardines. Fish oil falls into the same
category because of its vital importance for superhuman health. It
can be used easily as a capsule or liquidized. Taking one teaspoon
a day will drastically improve your life. Krill oil might simply be a
more potent and bioavailable source. Make sure to use wild caught
sources to avoid mercury poisoning.
• Vitamin D-3. It’s called the sunshine vitamin and is one of the
most important nutrients. But it’s not actually a vitamin but gets
synthesized into one inside the body. Life exists on Earth because
of the Sun. D-3 governs almost every function within us starting
from DNA repair and metabolic processes making it a foundation
to everything that goes on. It’s embedded in nutritious food, given
it has received enough exposure to solar light. Vitamin D-3 fights
cardiovascular, autoimmune and infective diseases. Of course, the
best source would be to get it from the Sun but that is not always
possible because of seasonality and location. It can be consumed
as oil or a capsule.
They are not foundational but beneficial nonetheless. With the help of
these we can transcend the boundary between healthy and superhuman
performance as they will take us to the next level.
Reduce Inflammation
Other nutrition hacks that are good for the gut is to add cinnamon,
ginger and turmeric, at least a dazzle of them, onto all of your foods.
It goes as follows.
The thing is that our subconscious mind is one of our greatest tools but
it can also be turned against us like a weapon. If we have no idea of how
our beliefs and mindset limit us, then we would never get the idea that
it’s us – it’s our own own mindset that's causing the issues.
As in the case of food and exercise, the thoughts we feed our mind will
change our experience and perception of reality. Our paradigms are
literally the lens through which we see the world through and, unless
we’re aware of them, we won’t be able to see anything else either.
o People with this one see their abilities as set within a certain
range of parameters that have been created there whether
by the genome, the environment, or their own
personality. „I’ll never be able to do that; I’m just not that
kind of a person; I don’t know how could I ever do that? It’s
just the way I am.“
If you think that you’re a person with a fixed mindset, then rest assured
you are because you’ve already pre-emptively made up your mind about
it.
You have to realize that you are not your thoughts, your emotions, the
people you’re surrounded by, the culture you were born in, the music
you like to listen to, the food you like to eat or anything that happens to
you.
Realize this – you are not your mind, you have a mind.
How to Meditate
• Find a place where you won’t be disturbed. Either sit down with
your legs crossed or lay down on your back – it doesn’t matter.
• Close your eyes and become centered. Just stay calm and relaxed.
The best time to do this would be first thing in the morning, because
your monkey mind is still in between full on wakefulness (chaos) and
slumber. Meditate for about 20-30 minutes and you'll set the right tone
for the entire day.
There are also other calibrating techniques you can use to condition
your mindset with meditation. Check out my guided meditation
soundtrack!
What makes meditation work so effectively is that your brain goes
through adjustments of its own frequencies. There are several mental
vibrations we go through throughout the day.
Brainwaves 101:
The body perceives all stress as the same - running away from a lion
is physiologically identical to approaching a stranger.
This stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and triggers the ‘FIGHT
or FLIGHT’ response, that shuts down digestion, directs energy away
from hormonal reproduction and taxes the adrenals.
The problem is that the modern world is full of stressors and most
people are in fight or flight 24/7. They have demanding jobs, afflictive
relationships, bad habits and they watch the news.
Chronic stress wreaks havoc to the adrenals and mitochondria. It’s a
vicious cycle – the more stress you experience, the more stressed out
you become. The more stressed out you become, the more stress you
experience. Difficult to escape from, which is why managing your stress
is a crucial skill for life. For surviving survival scenarios as well as
navigating the ebbs and flows of the modern world.
There are many ways of taking control of your breath that take less than
4 minutes to take effect.
• Hold for 4
• Exhale to 4
• Repeat
(2) THE WIM HOF METHOD
• Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. The let-
go breath is a short “hah.” You may experience mild
lightheadedness and tingling in your fingers.
Doing these exercises for even just a few cycles will DRASTICALLY
improve the quality of your life. It teaches you mindfulness and enables
you to always stay in control of what happens to you.
Cold Exposure
Speaking of Wim Hof, it’s prime time to talk about cold exposure.
Every single morning, I have an ice cold shower. It’s like a wake up call
that says it’s time to focus and sets my mindset right.
Why take cold showers in the first place? Trust me, if there wouldn’t be
any benefits to them, then I would much rather spend my time doing
something more enjoyable.
There is an array of benefits to taking cold showers, which will all give
you access to the YOU+ version of yourself.
• Bolsters the immune system that kills viruses and fights off
tumor factors [v][vi][vii]
• Teaches your body to generate its own heat and allows you to
control your autonomic nervous system.
Remember this though, once you pick up the task, there’s no turning
back. To get the long-lasting benefits, you have to make it a part of who
you are. No hesitations, no excuses, no “I’ll just skip it for the day” and
no blind spots.
• The second part is mental. Your mind will try to fight back at you
every second of it. If you listen to your own voice of self-doubt and
give in to fear, then you won’t be able to muster enough courage
or willpower either. You have to realize that it’s not going to harm
you but will actually make you better.
• Just breathe. Do box breathing under the shower – two birds with
one stone.
• Visualize success. Don’t think about how bad it’s going to be.
Instead, think about all of the benefits you’re going to get and
envision yourself being perfectly fine.
• Just do it. The longer you think about it the more anxiety you’ll
create. It won’t get easier and you won’t be able to get it over with
by simply standing there. At some point you simply have to take
the plunge and do it.
• Yield to the cold. Becoming a Spartan will give you the right
mindset, but to actually adapt to the freeze, you must not fight it.
You have to become vulnerable and yield to the cold. Fully accept
it for what it is. Feel how the water is falling down on your face
and what effect it has. Do you get scared, want to escape or are
you completely calm and relaxed? You’ll actually start noticing
stuff about your body you previously didn’t. It’s like a practice of
becoming more mindful and experiencing the present moment.
Quite magical.
Small veins restrict blood flow. With exposure to cold you can condition
the veins to get larger and allow more warm blood to reach the
extremities. As you progress through the stages of the cold exercises,
you will begin to understand the body on a deeper level.
• Phase 1 cold shower after a hot one. Try to control your breaths
and lungs. Instead of gasping breathe with ease. Regular practice
will improve your arteries and conditions the entire vascular
system.
• Phase 2 straight to cold showers. Before you even begin, your
body temperature will already drop because of your mind
anticipating it. Our thoughts have that much power over our
physiology. That’s why it’s important to first master our mind.
Breathe naturally and you will be able to steer your mind towards
adaptation and consciously regulating the autonomic nervous
system. Forcing it doesn’t work because of the body will begin to
fight back.
• Phase 3 ice water immersion. Add in visualizations. Visualize
heat generating within your body just before you enter. With every
breath, make this sensation more intense and keep your mind
focused on the heat. Stay in the cold water for as long as it feels
comfortable. If you feel pain or uneasiness, then it’s time to get
out and wait for the next time.
• Phase 4 cold-hot contrasting. There are immense benefits to
some heat exposure as well. It stimulates the lympathic system,
which will detoxify your cells from waste material. Combining it
with cold exposure will improve cardiac functioning and promotes
blood circulation. The best way to do it is to have a 15-20 minute
sauna session, followed by an ice cold shower or a plunge into an
ice bath for a few minutes. Then you repeat it for a few extra
rounds.
Attain this Jedi-like concentration and you won’t even notice the cold or
any other external stimuli.
Imagine heat in your lower stomach. With each breath you’re inhaling
fire, that fills your body, and exhale out the cold. Go to somewhere
warm with your thoughts. Not to a beach, but rather focus on your inner
furnace.
It’s learning about the innate nature of our physiology and influencing
it with our psychology and vice versa. Biohacking is a tool for optimizing
our health and increasing performance.
If you’re interested, then schedule our first call for free through this
link.
I’m sure you’ve found this handbook of great value and I’m sure you’re
going to keep in touch.
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Siim