Mini summary
Tools of Titans is a great book about habits, routines, lessons learned and experiences of top performers. It has become part of my list of books I would recommend to family, friends and colleagues. However, be warned! It has over 600 pages.
My key lessons from the first part "Healthy" of Tools of Titans:
- There are really enough exercises using your own body weight - so you do not necessarily need a gym
- Try fasting, intermitted fasting and the ketogenic diet - especially the latter one requires a bit of introduction and research before starting
- Our body is capable of extraordinary things like hiking in freezing cold only wearing shoes and shorts (Wim Hof)
- Try AcroYoga!
- You have three option when doing something not well: (1) Improve, (2) eliminate or (3) delegate
- Implement a solid morning routine!
- Take 10 seconds/day to wish for 2 specific people to be happy
- Defeat occurs regularly unless you don't try hard enough
For more details see below my RAW BOOK SUMMARY with the key takeaways, I found particularly interesting.
about the author
Tim Ferriss is an entrepreneur, investor and #1 New York Times best-selling author (e.g. The 4-Hour Workweek). He is a master of what he termed "lifestyle design" and collects the practices and routines from the world's top performers.
RAW BOOK SUMMARY
Dominic D'Agostino // associate professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida Morisani College of Medicine, etc., pp. 21
- Ketogenic diet or just "keto" is a high fat, low carb diet that requires a strict eating regime but offers several health benefits such as fat loss, potential anti-cancer effects, better oxygen usage, etc.
- Fasting 2 - 3 time a year for 5 days works like maintenance does for your car
- A 3 day fast can easily be started on a Friday so that the main fasting phase takes place on a weekend
- Also consider intermitted fasting! This can be done by only having lunch and dinner in order to get a phase of up to 16 hours without food
- Dom also emphasises the link between fasting and cancer treatment: "Fasting before chemotherapy is definitely something that should be implemented in our oncology wards [...] Fasting essentially slows (sometimes stops) rapidly dividing cells and triggers an 'energetic crisis' that makes cancer cells selectively vulnerable to chemo and radiation."
- His most recommended or gifted books:
Wim Hof // "The Iceman", creator of the Wim Hof Method, holder of 20 world records, pp. 39
This man is so special that I could never briefly describe his special power. So enjoy the video below!
Jason Nemer // co-founder of AcroYoga, pp. 46
Also check out the videos below and enjoy AcroYoga ;-)
Slow Carb Diet Cheat Sheet from Tim Ferriss // pp. 81
- #1 Avoid white carbs: pasta, potatoes, rice, bread, etc.
- #2 Eat the same meals over and over again - low carb can tends to be dull but you can learn to make it fancy if you are willing to invest the time
- #3 Avoid drinking calories - stick to water and tea
- #4 Avoid fruits
- #5 Define a cheat day once per week and go bananas (this serves as a motivational tool but you can also go without)
Paul Levesque // 14-time world champion in WWE, pp. 128
- "Kids don't do what you say. They do what they see. How you live your life is their example." Paul Levesque
- Right before a box fight: "I'm either ready or I'm not. Worrying about it right now ain't gonna change a damn thing. Right? Whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen. I've either done everything I can to be ready for this, or I haven't." Floyd Mayweather
- "[...] if you don't do something well, don't do it unless you want to spend the time to improve it." Paul Levesque
- "Improve it, eliminate it, or delegate it." Tim Ferriss
5 Morning Rituals to Win the Day from Tim Ferriss // pp. 143
- #1 - Make your bed
- #2 - Meditate (10-20 minutes)
- #3 - Do 5-10 reps of something
- #4 - Prepare tea
- #5 - Morning Pages or 5-Minute Journal
Chade-Meng "Meng" Tan // Google employee #107 and best-selling author, pp. 154
- Have a buddy to make certain activities, like reading or going to the gym, easier
- Just commit to one mindful breath a day as your mindfulness practice
- Think of 2 people and then think "I wish for this person to be happy, and I wish for that person to be happy." It takes just 10 seconds and brings you "joy of loving-kindness"." Try it!
Other quotes
- "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I 'll spend the first four sharpening the axe." Abraham Lincoln
- "Certainly celebrate the moments of triumph when they occur. More importantly, learn defeats when they happen. In fact, if you are not encountering defeat on a fairly regular basis, you are not trying hard enough. And absolutely refuse to accept less than the best." Christopher Sommer
Write a comment